


From a D-

by darlingDesires



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: #Realshit, :(, AOL Instant Messenger, Affectionate Insults, Anxiety, Cute waitress makes a cameo, Daniel's sus af, Daniel's there too, Davey that's gay, Davey's household is Not Good, David helps Jasper let loose a bit, David is a rebellious teen, Gwen likes playing matchmaker, Gwen plays Everquest, Internal Conflict, It's like 2006 or something, Jasper helps David with his grades, Jasper is David's tutor, Jasper's first kiss, M/M, Oh so that's why the author wrote that, Oof this is awkward, PDA, Proofreading? Never met her, Shattering of expectations, Smooching, Snowball Fights, Spoiler alert: that's gay, Surprise Davey's in a band, Suspense, Swearing, Teenagers, but he won't be a bit part of it, cute cute cute, innuendos, lots of references, or will he, thinking emoji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-02-01 12:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 30,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12704586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingDesires/pseuds/darlingDesires
Summary: “This is a load of shit,” Davey said, dropping his pencil onto the light mocha-colored table and crossing his arms.“Well, the more you practice, the easier it gets,” Jasper commented, catching Davey’s pencil as it rolled off of the edge of the table. He placed it back down in front of the other and smiled.“You don’t have to keep doing this, you know,” Davey scoffed, “We both have better things to do. I’ll just tell them you tutored me and we can both leave.”Jasper laughed heartily. “Sorry, no can do! It’s my job to make sure you pass Chemistry. And, uh, all your other classes. But mostly Chemistry. Seriously, how did you manage to get an 8%?”





	1. Tutor Me

The public library was almost completely empty at this hour. The only people still there were the last minute underachiever students studying for their exams in the morning, the college kids almost certainly using AOL on the computers, the high schoolers pretending to have a study group, and Davey and his tutor.

“This is a load of shit,” Davey said, dropping his pencil onto the light mocha-colored table and crossing his arms.

“Well, the more you practice, the easier it gets,” Jasper commented, catching Davey’s pencil as it rolled off of the edge of the table. He placed it back down in front of the other and smiled.

“You don’t have to keep doing this, you know,” Davey scoffed, “We both have better things to do. I’ll just tell them you tutored me and we can both leave.”

Jasper laughed heartily. “Sorry, no can do! It’s my job to make sure you pass Chemistry. And, uh, all your other classes. But mostly Chemistry. Seriously, how did you manage to get an 8%?”

“Ughhh.” Davey rolled his eyes dramatically, slumping down further into his chair. “Why do you always have to follow the rules? Quit being so square, kid.”

“I’m… older than you,” Jasper murmured, raising an eyebrow. Why, out of the whole school, did he have to be assigned to tutor possibly the worst kid?

“Yeah yeah, go back to your boyband, Jason.”

“Jasper.”

“That’s what I said.”

“It… so wasn’t.” Jasper laughed awkwardly, pushing the textbook a bit closer to Davey. “Uh, what section did you want to work on next?”

“The one that involves  _ you _ pissing off.”

“Ouch. Okay. Let’s work on… stoichiometry.” Jasper flipped a few paged in the book, Davey glanced disinterestedly at it.

The sandy-blonde boy began to explain how those problems worked, and the redhead effectively managed to tune him out.

“David?”

“Davey.”

“Davey,” Jasper corrected himself, “You aren’t paying attention at all, are you?”

“No,” Davey glared over at Jasper.

“This could go by  _ so much _ quicker if you’d please listen,” Jasper pleaded, pads of his fingers tapping against the light wooden desk. He looked up at the clock. They’d already been at it for hours and they’ve made zero progress. At least he was honest when he wasn’t paying attention... but, why couldn’t Jasper have been assigned to a student who’d actually listen to him?

“No.” Ugh. Why couldn’t Davey have been assigned a tutor that didn’t give a shit? The new episode of  _ Bad Girls Club  _ was set to air in twenty minutes and he’ll be damned if he misses it. Davey stood up from the table, pushing the chair backwards and speaking with a sarcastic tone, “Look, I  _ really _ appreciate your help, but I have somewhere to be and I’m not going to waste my time with a loser like you.”

Jasper’s heart sank. “Oh. Alright. Well, can we… can we meet up again tomorrow?”

“No.” And just like that, Davey was gone and out of the library. Jasper sighed. He picked up the textbook, closing it and slipping it into his backpack, swinging it around his shoulder and leaving the library. If Davey didn’t improve his grades by finals, Jasper was going to get marked down for being unable to tutor him. He’d never gotten anything but A’s, he couldn’t hardly imagine even a C on his report card.

 

The next day was a Friday, and Davey was late to tutoring. Jasper sat at the table in the library and rhythmically tapped his fingernails against the table. Davey came in through the door with a jean jacket slung over his arm and an unnecessarily large cup of coffee in his hand. His hair was ruffled and it might have just been Jasper’s imagination, but the bags under Davey’s eyes seemed heavier. “What’s up, Jessie?”

“Jasper.”

“Could’ve sworn it was Jessie.” He sat down in the chair next to Jasper and dropped his backpack to the floor with a heavy thud.

“It’s… not,” Jasper laughed gently, gaze turning to the coffee cup in Davey’s hand. “It’s almost four o’clock, why are you still drinking coffee?”

“What’s it to you? You’re not my mom.” Davey took a sip from the cup and grinned almost mischievously. “Even if you were, I’d say it’s none of your goddamn business.”

Yikes. They hadn’t even been talking for a minute yet, and Jasper had already managed to turn Davey hostile.

A bit of forced cooperative studying went by before a look crossed Davey’s face. He smiled- genuinely, something Jasper had yet to see before that point- and spoke, “Oh! Hey, I saw you on MTV last night. In the new NSYNC music video.”

Jasper raised his eyebrows. “You did?”

“Yeah, I didn’t know you could dance. Oh! Wait. My bad, it was Justin Timberlake. Sorry, you both have the lame-o look down to a T. And you have the same first name. Freak coincidence.”

“Jasper.” Jasper said with a huff. “It’s Jasper. Not Justin.”

“Jasper Timberlake? That can’t be right.” Davey grinned, much more slyly and sarcastically than before, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms behind his head. He seemed pleased with his comment.

“My name’s Jasper. His name’s Justin.” Jasper pressed his palms together and rested the side of his hands on the table, looking Davey in the eye as he spoke. “It’s not that hard.”

 

The weekend went by, and Monday rolled around once more. Surprisingly, Davey was on time. “How’s it hangin’, Jackson?”

Jasper sighed in frustration. Was this going to be a regular occurrence? “Jasper. Davey, please try to remember my name.”

“Will do.” Jasper could already tell that David had no intention of calling him by his real name.

 

Davey skateboarded up to the steps of the library and stumbled as he dismounted, still managing to look cool right before he entered. He chose the seat across the table from Jasper, pushing his sunglasses up to the to of his head and forming his hands into small guns to shoot towards his tutor. “Ey-hey-hey, what’s good, Joseph my broseph?”

“Jas-per,” He annunciated clearly for the other, gesturing hard with his hand at each syllable, “My name’s Jasper. Look, I get that you don’t want to be here, but could you at least have the courtesy to remember my name?”

 

A day later, Jasper was surprised when Davey was sitting at the library with his textbook open, waiting for his tutor to arrive. Was he late? Jasper looked at his wristwatch and concluded that he was fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. “Davey, you’re early!”

“Look, I feel real bad for always gettin’ your name wrong…” Davey stood up from his seat and offered a sympathetic smile towards Jasper. He looked at something written on his wrist, “...Jedidiah.”

Jasper dropped the book he was holding to the floor. He did all of this just for another stupid name joke. “Come on! That doesn’t even  _ remotely _ sound like my name!”

“I’m just teasing, you know that, right? I know your real name.” Davey replied, sitting back down in his seat.

Jasper took up the seat across from him. “Then what is it, Louis C.K.?“

“Jaiden.”

“No.”

 

“So how was your weekend, Casper?”

Jasper slammed his hand against the table in frustration, “Jasper! For the love of god, it’s Jasper!”

The librarian hushed him and he slunk back into his seat, burying his face in his hands.

“For crying out loud...” Jasper mumbled. Davey suppressed laughter. Jasper shot him a look. “You laugh now, but I know that the only reason you continue to get my name wrong is because you’re dissatisfied with the way things are and to cope you poke fun at others.”

“Dude holy shit”

 

“So, if you’ve set up the conversion factors correctly, you can solve left-to-right just like any other problem,” Jasper finished, setting down the pencil and turning the paper he’d been writing on to face Davey. “Make sense?”

“Makes sense,” Davey noted, nodding gently. “I like how you think, Jormungand.”

“I feel like you’re just running out of names at this point,” Jasper sighed, propping his head up in his hands. He didn’t even bother correcting the redhead, he’d just come up with another name by the time tomorrow had rolled around.

Davey leaned forward, resting his forearms against the table and looking Jasper in the eyes. Their faces were fairly close together, Davey’s breath smelled like peppermint. “Hey, random question: what’s your favorite sweet?”

Jasper felt his stomach flutter as the distance between them closed, but he didn’t do anything to change it. His throat suddenly felt tight. “Like… candy? Well, uh... I’d have to say... m&ms?”

“M&ms,” Davey echoed, tilting his head to the side a bit and smiling gently. “So you’re an m&ms kind of person. Interesting”

“Well,” Jasper said in defense, face flushing with color, “What would you have picked?”

“Ever had a Sugar Daddy?”

“Huh?!” Jasper asked in surprise. His throat seemed tight. What kind of question was that?!

“Y’know, the candy.”

“Oh,” Jasper averted his gaze, clearing his throat. That definitely could have been said better. “R-right.”

“I prefer caramel, chocolate’s too bitter for me.”

 

Davey walked in almost an entire forty-five minutes behind schedule, a rather large drink in one hand and a package of candy in the other. “Sorry I’m late, Jas, I had a coupon at the Seven-Eleven that would’ve expired tomorrow.”

Jasper opened his mouth instinctively to correct the hooligan child he was working with, but stopped himself. Was… “Jas?”

“Short for Jasper?” Davey chuckled, sipping his soda and tossing the candy towards Jasper. He missed the catch, and it landed on the table in front of him. “I got you somethin’, by the way.”

“M&ms?” Jasper murmured, picking up the packaging. He felt a soft blush heat across his face as he looked back up at Davey.

“You said you liked them, so uh,” Davey shrugged and avoided Jasper’s gaze, “It’s the least I can do to say, well, thanks for putting up with my shit.”

Jasper smiled warmly, he could feel a soft sensation building in his chest. “Thank you.”

“Whatever.” Davey replied dismissively, taking another sip from his cup and sitting down next to Jasper.


	2. Are We The Waiting?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The November weather's finally catching up, and Jasper gets a taste of the punk scene.

“It’s so nice outside…” Davey mumbled, picking his head up from the table to gaze out of the library windows. He chewed on some gum between his teeth as he rested his head back down onto his crossed arms. “This is torture. It’s November, and the one day of the month it’s above sixty degrees happens to be the day  _ you _ decide tutoring’s a good idea.”

“Well, the sooner you finish these practice problems...” Jasper noted, following Davey’s gaze out the window. It did look nice outside… “Actually, do you want to study outside today?”

Before Jasper had even finished his sentence, Davey stood up. His backpack was already around his shoulder, and his sunglasses were already obscuring his eyes. Davey blew a rather large bubble with his gum before popping it and speaking, “Let’s go already.”

The two had wandered over to the park next door to the library. It was empty, save for one woman walking her three dogs in a fairly calm fashion. The grass was freshly cut and soft, and even though there were picnic tables twenty feet away, the duo decided it was more appropriate to study on said grass. Jasper sat down and flipped open the textbook to the page they’d been working on, and Davey just collapsed on the ground, back to the soil and face towards the sky. It was a clear day outside, with no wind to disturb the atmosphere, and a few trees dotting the clear blue sky with green foliage. All of Jasper’s lecturing clearly wasn’t getting through to Davey again, not today at least.

“Lay down,” Davey instructed, patting the grass next to him. Jasper raised his eyebrows, and seemed hesitant. Another pat on the ground prompted Jasper to lay down next to Davey, gazing up at the sky.

“What am I supposed to see?”

“Shh,” Davey hushed. Jasper rolled his eyes and sighed, lacing his fingers together and laying them on his lower belly. He didn’t really notice anything until his breathing slowed to a relaxed pace, and he began to notice the things around him. The grass felt soft, almost like a comforter, and the gentle noises of miscellaneous bugs flying around became known to him as well. Jasper closed his eyes, and took it all in. He didn’t know how long had gone by before he felt himself speak again.

“Huh,” Jasper couldn’t help but murmur, in awe of all the things he’d failed to notice previously before Davey spoke again.

“While you’re busy studying useless knowledge you  _ know _ you’ll never apply, I’m out enjoying the little things.” Davey rolled to his side, towards Jasper, propping a hand underneath the side of his head. Jasper let his head fall to the left, making eye contact with Davey. He didn’t realize how close they were. “I honestly feel sorry for you. If you think the education system’s a good thing… well, I’m gonna put it this way: I don’t plan on wasting my teenage years in a library, and I hope you realize that.”

“It’s not wasting your teenage years, I’m getting good grades and school isn’t  _ all  _ of my life, I still have time to-” Jasper stopped himself.

“To do what?” Davey interjected after a short pause.

“I… don’t know.” Jasper averted his gaze away from Davey. He didn’t really have friends, but he was just happy that he was getting good grades. Jasper was only a junior and colleges had already begun to reach out to him for his SAT scores, and his 4.2 GPA, but he focused on all of that and all but refused to get a social life.

“Exactly!” Davey exclaimed, “These are the best years of your life, and you’re wasting away with your stupid textbooks and useless facts. You gotta see the big picture. Grades’ll get ya through college, sure, but you’re fifteen-”

“Sixteen. I turn seventeen in three months.”

“You’re sixteen for crying out loud! Most of your good years are behind you, and all your fancy college degree’s gonna get you is a shitty office job and a shitty suburban stay-at-home wife with two shitty kids. School stops at 22, and your life as an office worker begins, then you won’t have any time to do fun things! But listen, Jas, the experiences you have now are gonna last you the rest of your life,” Davey nudged Jasper’s shoulder with his free hand, Jasper laughed a little, “So own it, you goof! Live a little! Fuck school!”

“You’re right,” Jasper said, giggling softly. Man, he hated being wrong, but for whatever reason, being wrong this time didn’t feel the same.

“I wanna hear you say it.” Davey raised his eyebrows.

“Say…  what?” Jasper asked, confused.

“Fuck school.”

“I don’t think-”

“Exactly! Don’t think!  _ Fuck school _ !”

Jasper laughed. “Fuck school!”

“There you go!” Davey laughed, smiling back at Jasper with a bout of happiness he’d been reluctant to share earlier. “College Boy’s learning to give life a shot!”

 

From that day onwards, they held more and more sessions outside, until the weather got so cold the weather that would have been considered rain turned into to snow.

And Davey was late to tutoring the first day it snowed. Jasper didn’t really expect anything different, but it was nice to hope. Davey was chewing on what Jasper could assume was gum. He flashed Jasper a smile before taking his seat next to his tutor. Davey brushed mounds of snow off of his shoulders and the to of his head, letting it fall to the floor hazardously while he spoke, “Sorry I’m late, had to wade through knee-deep snow. Wild, huh? How’s my favorite square?”

“I’m… so not square, and I’m doing pretty well, thanks,” Jasper sat up straighter, opening up the textbook and turning to a fresh page in his notebook.

“You so  _ are _ square, I bet you’ve never even skipped school.” Davey chuckled, draping his snow jacket over the back of the chair, looking over towards Jasper and resting his forearms resting on the table. “Oh, hey, I forgot to let you know yesterday, but there’s a concert at the ampitheatre on first and fourth tonight, a super up-and-coming band’s playing a secret show at nine. I have an extra ticket, you should totally come.”

“I can’t, I have a calculus exam tomorrow morning,” Jasper said and looked towards the textbook. Besides, he’d never been to a concert before, it sounded chaotic and he wasn’t sure he wanted to go anyway. Why was his stomach twisting itself into knots?

Davey grabbed Jasper’s chin with a gentle and light touch, and turned his head so the two made eye contact again. “What’s two plus two?”

“Four?” Jasper asked. His stomach wasn’t knotting, it was butterflies.

“Boom, 100%. Aced that shit. You’re all studied up, now you have no excuse not to go.”

Jasper laughed, blushing. He and Davey held eye contact for just a moment too long before Jasper replied, “Alright, I’ll see you there, I guess. Er… who’s playing again?”

Davey let go of Jasper’s chin. “Alr _ ight _ , square’s getting cool. Green Day’s playing, heard of ‘em?”

Jasper rolled his eyes and sighed, but didn’t argue his square-itude. “On the radio once, I think.”

“They’ve been pretty cool since their first big debut 1994, but like a year and a half ago they released another album that got wildly popular, I honestly can’t see them coming down from their fame.” Davey slouched back in his chair, smiling over at Jasper.

“Well, everything ends.” Jasper shrugged.

“How pessimistic of you, Nick Carter.” Davey snickered, combing a hand through his hair. “How about I pick you up in front of the library at eight-thirty?”

“As opposed to at my house?”

“Well, I figured, we both know where this is, right? Plus, pickin’ you up from your folks’ place would be like, something else I guess?” Davey shook his head, and if Jasper didn’t know any better, he would’ve said the other was blushing. “Whatever, are you in?”

Jasper smiled warmly, and he felt the new and wonderous feeling of butterflies in his stomach envelop him once more. “Of course.”

 

That night, at eight thirty on the dot, Jasper arrived at the library. Davey was waiting for him out front, smoking a cigarette.

“So you’ll show up early now, but you’re always late for tutoring.”

“Can’t keep my date waiting,” Davey replied, taking a long drag off of his cigarette.

Was this… Was Jasper on a date? He cleared his throat, opening his mouth to clarify, but instead he found himself saying, “You shouldn’t smoke, it’s bad for you.”

“Yeah yeah, okay mom,” Davey replied sarcastically, blowing the smoke out in two thin streams from his nostrils, tossing the cigarette butt to the floor and smudging it out with his boot. Jasper began to notice his companion’s ensemble, he’d changed into a black leather jacket, impossibly tight skinny jeans, high lace-up boots, and…

Jasper laughed a little against his better judgement. “Are you wearing eyeliner?”

“Shut the fuck up, you look like a twink,” Davey countered.

“I do  _ not _ look like a twink!” Jasper exclaimed self-consciously, feeling the blood rush to his face in embarrassment.

Davey laughed, looking over Jasper’s outfit with a hint of a smile on his lips. “Your turtleneck says otherwise.”

“It’s my cat sweater!!” Jasper brought his hands to the black cat printed on the front of the turtleneck, almost as if making sure she didn’t hear the comment. “Plus, i-it’s going to be cold tonight! And look who’s talking, Mister ‘choker-and-earrings’!”

“Wh- Studs are in fashion! Shut your yaps, Nick Carter!” Davey defended, face reddening as well.

Jasper stopped. He snickered, and promptly covered his mouth with his hand. Had Davey finally exhausted his insult list? “Nick Carter?”

“Well, that’s who you look like, you c-list boy scout!” Davey’s entire face was reddened at this point. He shrugged his shoulders up and rolled his eyes, exhaling in a huff. “Whatever, let’s go.”

Jasper didn’t see any cars around, but he did see a motorcycle. It was all black, with a red lace pattern decorating the sides and tank. Something was spelled out in white scratchy lettering, Jasper couldn’t quite make it out. “Oh no. Davey, don’t tell me you drive a motorcycle.”

“Hell yeah I do, hop on.” Davey straddled the seat of the motorcycle, picking up one of the two helmets and slipping it onto his head. Davey motioned for Jasper to get on behind him. He’d never ridden one before, it always seemed scary, and it still did.

“But it just snowed today,” Jasper protested, “won’t the road be slippery? Maybe we should just… walk?”

“If we’re lucky, walking might get us there as the concert’s ending. I can handle a little black ice, don’t even trip. Trust me.” Davey clasped the second helmet in his hands, slipping it over Jasper’s head and giving it a firm pat. Jasper reached up to secure the part beneath his chin but Davey had beaten him to it, tightening it just right. He looked at the motorcycle awkwardly and hesitantly for a moment before taking a leap of faith and climbing on behind Davey.

Davey used his foot to kick up the stand, starting the engine. “Hold on.”

“To what?” Jasper asked, almost panicky.

“Me.”

Jasper clasped his arms around Davey’s waist a bit too tightly as they sped off, almost certainly above the speed limit. He could feel the wind pounding against the visor of his helmet. It wasn’t until they’d stopped at a light that Jasper opened his eyes, refusing to let go of Davey, but making eye contact with the stranger in the Jeep next to him. In the passenger’s seat was a black-haired girl making googly eyes at the brunette boy in the driver’s seat. The driver looked over at the duo on the bike and scoffed. “Gay!”

Davey turned his head towards the car and offered the lovely driver the present of his middle finger. “This is closer to romance than you’ll ever get, asshole.”

Their mouths gaped, even Jasper was shocked by that, and the light turned green. Davey accelerated and left them in the dust. Jasper looked back behind them, towards the couple puttering along dumbfoundedly in their car. They were lagging further and further behind the speeding motorcycle every second.

Jasper wondered what Davey meant by that, and the rest of the ride was a blur. Not for long, though, they arrived at the ampitheatre shortly after.

“What was that all about?” Jasper asked as Davey unclipped his helmet, resting it on the bike handles.

“What was what about?” Davey replied, helping Jasper take off his helmet.

“The whole… romance thing, to the guy in the Jeep?” Jasper hesitated before asking the next part, fidgeting with his hands. “Is this a date?”

Davey almost seemed surprised by that response, but the moment of real emotion was quickly masked as he combed a hand through his hair. “Do you want this to be a date?”

Jasper wasn’t expecting his question to be thrown back at him. Oh gosh… what should he say? If it  _ was _ a date, and he said no, that couldn’t end well. Part of him wanted to say yes, though, but would it make things weird? He looked down at the dirt, biting his lip gently as he easily found himself lost on a train of thought headed quickly towards an unknown destination.

Davey laughed a little and put his arm around Jasper’s shoulder. “Let’s treat it like a date, and if you want out later on, I won’t be hurt, ‘kay?”

Jasper smiled softly, and found himself laughing as well. He loved how easy-going Davey was about this. Maybe Jasper really  _ did _ need to loosen up, and not overthink things so much. “Okay.”

Once they’d gotten through the security and into the amphitheatre, Jasper began to notice that everyone there was dressed like Davey, or similarly. He crossed his arms over his chest self-consciously, he felt so out of place.

Davey kept his arm around Jasper and steered the two of them through the mobs of people, and out to their seats, most of the crowd was seated but some people were up front purchasing shirts, CD’s, and the like. The band sat on stage, tuning their instruments as everyone made their way to their seats.

Once the concert started, Jasper’s eyes were glued to the stage. All he’d ever listened to was pop music and the oldies his parents would listen to, but there was something about… the way the bassist played, or maybe the gravelly voice of the singer, perhaps the drums tying it all together. Something captivating, maybe even magical. This grunge-punk scene had an appeal all his own, and before that moment, Jasper could never have pictured himself listening to such…  _ angry _ music! It really riled him up, the way they sung about hating the government, and being an outcast, and he loved it.

Maybe it wasn’t even the music at all, maybe just the fact that this was something Davey liked, that he was willing to share with Jasper.

In either case the concert came to an end all too quickly, and Jasper found himself clapping and cheering.

“You alright there?” Davey asked, laughing gently once the applause had died down and the band exited the stage. “You barely blinked through the entire concert.”

Jasper looked over at Davey with the dorkiest smile plastered across his face. “Oh my gosh, that was amazing!”

“What happened to you, College Boy? Change of heart?” Davey laughed again, crooked and natural smile creeping up to his lips.

Jasper clenched his fists and shrugged his shoulders up as he gave Davey an intense look. “Fuck school!”

Davey was actually thrown off by this. He covered it up with sarcastic humor and a more relaxed, controlled smile. “Are you- are you still the Jasper that tutors me? I must’ve lost him in the crowd, and switched him up with this completely different person.”

Jasper laughed, fidgeting with his hands. “Don’t worry, it’s still me.”

“Oh really? Can you solve a math problem for me?”

“Of course,” Jasper cocked his head to the side, wondering what Davey would say next.

““What's your sine?”

“My sign?” That wasn’t math. He was just about to answer when Davey spoke again.

“Either way, the sine^(-1) of you must be pi/2, ‘cause i think you're the one”

Jasper covered his mouth and he felt his entire face turn red. He looked at Davey, when did he learn complex mathematics? “Oh my gosh.”

Davey laughed a little. “Eh, it was a hit or miss. I probably said it wrong, anyway.”

“No, it was right,” Jasper said with a smile, mostly covered up by his hands, but just enough for the sweetheart hooligan sitting next to him to see. Davey blushed and laughed it off, standing and looking at his watch.

“I should probably get you home, it’s like twelve-thirty.”

“Twelve thirty?!” Jasper hopped up. Time really  _ had _ flown.

Davey refused to let Jasper walk home, it was the middle of the night, who knew what creep cultists would be out and about at this hour? The ride back to Jasper’s house was short and uneventful.

“Thank you for taking me to the concert,” Jasper said, hands clasped behind his back. The two of them stood close, facing each other on Jasper’s doorstep.

“Thanks for coming with me.” Davey smiled. A moment passed, and another, and the way Davey looked at Jasper…

Something inside the house toppled over. Jasper jumped. “U-uh, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow,” Davey replied. Jasper opened the door, walked inside, and closed it. Davey walked back to his motorcycle, and headed home.


	3. Sip of Something Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper has a dream and some internal reflection. Davey isn't helping.

That night, Jasper dreamt of a different time.

Somewhere, he sat on an unfamiliar couch with a flannel tied around his waist and a red solo cup in his grip filled with what he could only assume was liquor. The lights of the stranger’s house were off, and the bulk of light came from both the Christmas lights strung up across the ceiling in zigzag patterns and the neon signs that tinted the room green, white, blue.

Noone sat next to him, fingers intertwined in his while someone talked to noone and Jasper watched. Noticed his gaze, and leaned over softly to pat his cheek. Jasper stared into icy blue eyes.The words of someone moved the eyes away from him.

Jasper stood, bringing a hand out to hold himself steady as the thumping of rhythm became louder and the shout of hushed chatter more distinguished. Anyone spoke to someone, dancing with everyone. Jasper stood still, watching, almost like he wasn’t a part of the story at all. Things unfolded without him.

A pair of gentle arms slid around his waist from behind, chin settling into the crook of his neck, cautiously breathing against his collarbone. Jasper was petrified, but couldn’t find it in himself to run, so he only trailed his hands up the arms and ended at the face, stroking the cheekbone with his thumb.

The world around him melted like candy, and he was in the school’s gymnasium with the same pair of arms holding him like there was no tomorrow. Told him to close his eyes. He did as he was told, eyes fluttering shut. Where had his drink gone?

Now in front of Jasper but unseen, grabbed Jasper’s face with soft hands that could rival the best. Kissed him with lips gentle. Pulled him close in almost desperation. Jasper’s heart fluttered, and he leaned inwards to the kiss, almost recognizing the near familiar scent drifting his way. Someone called out. Pulled away, turned to listen.

When Jasper opened his eyes, noone was there.

 

Jasper waited patiently for Davey to arrive at tutoring, drumming his fingers against the desk and sighing softly. He’d had to wait for the rebel-without-a-cause many times before, it wasn’t an unusual phenomenon, but it was getting terribly late and at this point, Jasper wasn’t sure if Davey was even coming at all. So, he let his mind begin to wander.

Yesterday was a whole lot of firsts for Jasper. His first concert, his first ride on a motorcycle, his first time talking and hanging out with someone his age outside of tutoring or school, his first time staying out later than 10:30pm. He felt a lot of feelings that night, a lot of weird and uncertain things he didn’t quite understand but welcomed all the same. When he thought about Davey, and the moment of silence they’d shared before he rushed inside his home, it was like a taste of the sweetest chocolate melting on his tongue. He wished he said something to break the silence, but all the same, the tension was almost welcome. He wished he’d kissed Davey last night.

Jasper felt his body go rigid at that thought, deep blush slinking its way to his face. Oh. Did he mean that?

He remembered his grandpa telling him when he was seven that if he ever felt like he wanted to kiss another man, it was wrong. It was bad, it was wrong, and it was unnatural. Men only dated women, and women only dated men, and anyone who believed otherwise was a God-fearing infidel who was being manipulated by the devil. His grandpa was a bit eccentric sometimes, especially about his religious beliefs, but Jasper’s mom had always told him that his grandpa was a wise man, and once you sifted through his words, you’d press on and find what he was really trying to say. So, that’s what he did, he took aside the eccentric bit and listened to what else he had to say. As a result, Jasper had grown up with the almost self-inflicted idea that he should only be interested in women, and anything else was a sin.

But for some reason, it didn’t feel wrong. It didn’t feel wrong at all. Jasper felt guilty when he lied, or cheated, or said mean things, but he didn’t feel guilty about loving Davey. Caring for Davey, not loving him. The way they interacted last night made him forget everything else for just a moment. It just seemed so appealing, imagining their faces pressed so close together, noses brushing. Davey would brush a stray strand of Jasper’s hair from his face. Those vivid green eyes would stare back into his. Deep within him, an intensity of emotion he’d never experienced before stirred at the thought of feeling Davey’s breath on his lips, arms loosely dangling around his neck, eyes drifting close as the two leaned in towards even closer, leaving the world behind. All they needed was each other, their lips pressed together in a sugary sweet mess he could only dream of, he could almost taste the peppermint chapstick sticking to Davey’s lips.

Jasper was brought back to reality when someone coughed. He covered his face with his hands in embarrassment, why was he imagining that? Davey was handsome, yes, but it wasn’t… gay to think another guy was handsome, was it? He didn’t  _ actually _ want to kiss Davey, his imagination was just running wild and out of control. Especially with all those weird candy metaphors, or whatever. Yeah, that’s what it was. After all, girls tell each other they’re pretty all the time, and do couple-y things like cuddle and hold hands and sit on each others laps, and that didn’t mean they were dating, so why would his situation with Davey be any different?

...Technically, last night was a date, but it had to have been a mistake, his grandpa had told him it was _not_ natural, there’s _no_ _way_ Davey could have really meant it. He just… didn’t know how to respond to Jasper’s question, so he made up his mind to do whatever he thought Jasper wanted, right? But Jasper wasn’t gay. He was determined to stick to it. Not a moment later, he heard somebody enter the library. He hoped whoever it was hadn’t seen the redness on his face.

“Hey Jas, what’s with the color in your cheeks?”

Oh no. Davey strode in, eyelids still smudged from the remnants of his eyeliner, hair slightly ruffled, shirt put on backwards. His hands were shoved deep in the pockets of his jacket, and his shoulders stooped lower than usual, it wasn’t just his slouch. As insignificant as it seemed, the small change in appearance told Jasper all he needed to know- Davey had hardly slept last night, and didn’t even bother getting ready properly that morning, or maybe he was just too tired to notice. Davey didn’t press on as Jasper failed to provide an answer to his question. As he sat down next to Jasper, crossing his arms on the table in front of him, he offered a small smile. It was forced.

Jasper smiled back, worried. He didn’t ask about the other’s appearance, or about his fake smile. He began on the lesson and things were going fairly well until it was abundantly clear that Davey wasn’t paying attention. Somehow, it was different than the  _ ‘I don’t want to go to school and I’d rather be daydreaming’  _ unfocused look that Davey usually had on his face. He almost seemed like he wanted to pay attention, yet his head was propped up against his arms and his eyes had drifted closed at some point while Jasper was talking, who knows how long they’d been shut.

“Sleep well last night?” Jasper asked gently, not wanting to wake Davey if he was too far gone into sleep, soft edge of concern to his voice. He laid a gentle hand on the other’s shoulder. He’d seen Davey tired before, but never this exhausted, it was almost chilling in juxtaposition to how… energetic and lively he acted at the concert.

Davey’s eyes shot open and his head groggily lifted from its resting position, looking at Jasper with sleep still clinging to his eyes. “Nah, my parents kept me up again.”

“Again?”

He almost seemed surprised that he’d tacked on that extra word, only realizing it as his tutor repeated it. Davey brought up one of his arms and cradled his own face, resting his elbow on the table and propping his head up that way, so he at least seemed more attentive. He didn’t seem to want to offer any explanation to it other than a simple “Yeah.”

“If you’re too tired,” Jasper began, closing the book gently so as not to startle Davey, who was already falling asleep again, “We can always continue another time.”

“Winter finals are in two weeks Jasper,” Davey mumbled softly, barely opening his eyes to make eye contact. “Don’t you think it’s too late to salvage my grades?”

Jasper smiled. “Of course not, I don’t know what makes you say that. You’ve been making great progress.”

“Mm.”

“Really, did you know you have a C in Algebra 2?”

Davey’s eyes opened wide, and he suddenly seemed more awake and alert than he was moments ago. “I do?”

“And you’ve managed to bring your grades up from F’s to D’s. Which is really amazing, considering you had less than 20% in each class when we begun meeting, and now you have at least 60% in every class,” Jasper smiled, propping his head in his hand to mirror Davey. “I spoke with your teachers this morning.”

“I don’t know how you did it, you work miracles, Jasper.”

“You’re the one scoring high marks on tests, Einstein Jr.,” Jasper teased. Davey stuck out his tongue, and the two of them laughed. “Go home and get some sleep, you’ve earned it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.” Jasper smiled slyly, “These are the best years of your life, and you deserve to be well-rested for them.”

Davey laughed softly. He wasn’t sure what spurred the sudden change in Jasper’s attitude, but he figured it had something to do with their date, which made him smile. Davey was just glad to know he made Jasper happy. He picked up his backpack, standing and giving Jasper a gentle kiss on his cheek. “You’re the best. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

By the time Jasper had processed this and was ready to react, Davey was already out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit shorter than the other chapters? But I had to leave this here hh
> 
> Got any predictions? Suggestions? Criticism? Random thoughts? Leave 'em in the comments, I'd love to hear!


	4. If You Want Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen gives Davey some advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's pretty short considering that 90% of it is messages, but! Enjoy.

[4:43 P.M. 11|16|06]

 

[WELCOME TO AOL INSTANT MESSENGER!]

[SCREENNAME: americanpunkk]

[PASSWORD: ***********]

 

[WELCOME BACK, americanpunkk!]

[YOU HAVE: FIVE (5) UNREAD MESSAGES]

_Ping!_

[YOU HAVE: SIX (6) UNREAD MESSAGES]

 

[NEW MESSAGE FROM Bubbl3gumGw3n]

 

Bubbl3gumGw3n: davey

Bubbl3gumGw3n: r u keeping somethin from me

Bubbl3gumGw3n: davey

Bubbl3gumGw3n: DAVEY

Bubbl3gumGw3n: wat r u hiding

Bubbl3gumGw3n: dont ignore me i can see ur online >:(

americanpunkk: im not hiding anything

americanpunkk: and chill i just logged on

Bubbl3gumGw3n: o really

Bubbl3gumGw3n: thats suspicious 8Ic

Bubbl3gumGw3n: whatever, keep 2 urself, see if i care

Bubbl3gumGw3n: but

Bubbl3gumGw3n: i saw u w/a ~mystery man~ at the librery

Bubbl3gumGw3n: librerry? librarry?

americanpunkk: library lol

Bubbl3gumGw3n: lol

Bubbl3gumGw3n: so who is he

Bubbl3gumGw3n: ur ~lover~ ;0

americanpunkk: tutor

Bubbl3gumGw3n: oh

Bubbl3gumGw3n: lame

americanpunkk: hes ok

Bubbl3gumGw3n: r u sure 8/

Bubbl3gumGw3n: he looks square

americanpunkk: he is but its cool

americanpunkk: we went on a d8 yesterdy

Bubbl3gumGw3n: :0 :0 ;0

americanpunkk: ik ik

americanpunkk: 2 the green day concert

americanpunkk: he hada sweater w/a cat lol

Bubbl3gumGw3n: omg lol

Bubbl3gumGw3n: so wats ur deal w/him

Bubbl3gumGw3n: r u dating 8v

americanpunkk: idk

Bubbl3gumGw3n: udk???

americanpunkk: idk :/

americanpunkk: he was being weird today idk

Bubbl3gumGw3n: o

americanpunkk: yea

Bubbl3gumGw3n: u should invite him 2 winter fornal

Bubbl3gumGw3n: formal* lol

americanpunkk: lol

americanpunkk: idk idk how he feels

Bubbl3gumGw3n: wats the worst that could happen

americanpunkk: soulcrushing rejection :’(

americanpunkk: lol

Bubbl3gumGw3n: :(

Bubbl3gumGw3n: ill go w/u if u want

Bubbl3gumGw3n: moral support

americanpunkk: thats ok ty

Bubbl3gumGw3n: yw

Bubbl3gumGw3n: ill kick his ASS if he hurts u

Bubbl3gumGw3n: i wish there was a ready 2 fight emote

americanpunkk: >:I8

americanpunkk: holding ur hands up to ur face?? idk

Bubbl3gumGw3n: aw yea >:I8

americanpunkk: no that looks stupid

Bubbl3gumGw3n: too late

americanpunkk: no

Bubbl3gumGw3n: he bettr watch himself >:I8

americanpunkk: gwen

Bubbl3gumGw3n: >:I8 >:I8 >:I8 >:I8 >:I8

americanpunkk: >8v

Bubbl3gumGw3n: lol

Bubbl3gumGw3n: but on a serious note

Bubbl3gumGw3n: how do you feel abt all this

Bubbl3gumGw3n: abt squarebob tutorpants

americanpunkk: his name is spongebob squarepants you dont have 2 change the last name

Bubbl3gumGw3n: mayb i wanted to exercise my creative mind 8/

americanpunkk: sure, lets go w/that

americanpunkk: hes really nice and i like him a lot

Bubbl3gumGw3n: LIKE like him???

americanpunkk: maybe

americanpunkk: but im not gonna ask him out again

americanpunkk: he just seems not into me

americanpunkk: you shoulda seen how he froze when i kissed his cheek

americanpunkk: thats not normal is it

americanpunkk: i just dont want to force something that isnt there

Bubbl3gumGw3n: fuck it! get ur man davey!!

Bubbl3gumGw3n: if u want somethign u gotta go get it!!

americanpunkk: no

americanpunkk: unlike some people i respect boundaries

Bubbl3gumGw3n: okokokokok

Bubbl3gumGw3n: but atleast keep me in the loop, k? im gonna major in psychology in collrge and i want 2b able 2 help u

americanpunkk: i thought u were gonna study liberal arts

Bubbl3gumGw3n: yea imma dual major

americanpunkk: sounds hardcore u absolute nerd

Bubbl3gumGw3n: hey who skipped class 2 jus take a break w/u

Bubbl3gumGw3n: who got u into weezer n shit

Bubbl3gumGw3n: whos ur ride or die

americanpunkk: yea i guess ur not a total nerd

americanpunkk: but ur a freshman in hs y r u thinking abt college anyway??

Bubbl3gumGw3n: b/c my parents want me 2

Bubbl3gumGw3n: 8/

Bubbl3gumGw3n: davey can u promise ull talk 2 me abt it tho?

Bubbl3gumGw3n: i wanna b able 2 help if i can

americanpunkk: yeah, sure

americanpunkk: im logging off, gonna take a nap

americanpunkk: i didnt sleep last night

Bubbl3gumGw3n: parents fought again?

americanpunkk: when dont they fight

Bubbl3gumGw3n: lol tru

Bubbl3gumGw3n: sleep well

americanpunkk: ttyl

Bubbl3gumGw3n: ttyl

 

Davey closed the chat window but he didn’t log off, pushing away from his computer and falling back against the covers of his bed. They were a dull gray, like the sky outside, and like the boringly dim wallpaper of his room, only decorated with posters he’d tacked up and one framed tee-shirt signed by Rivers Cuomo.

He was exhausted, but he couldn’t find it in himself to fall asleep. His thoughts seemed to be pulsing through his body, keeping him awake similar to how adrenaline kept someone alert and moving. Davey grabbed his pillow and launched it onto his face, sighing loudly into the faded black fabric. Gwen usually didn’t know what she was talking about, but in their exchange, she seemed more confident with her opinions. _If you want something, go get it…_

Davey rolled over in his bed, thinking about Jasper, thinking about everything that had happened, soon after drifting into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fact: this pained me to write oh my god


	5. I Think I Like You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a sneak peek into one of Jasper's chat logs, and Davey gathers up his courage.

[3:22 A.M. 11|29|06]

 

[WELCOME TO AOL INSTANT MESSENGER]

[SCREENNAME: SoLongLivesThis]

[PASSWORD: ********]

 

[WELCOME BACK, SoLongLivesThis!]

[YOU HAVE: NO UNREAD MESSAGES]

 

SoLongLivesThis: Hey, are u awake?

SoLongLivesThis: I kind of need to talk :/

material_boye: always

material_boye: why are u up tho it’s early

SoLongLivesThis: I couldn’t sleep

SoLongLivesThis: Idk

SoLongLivesThis: I keep having this weird dream

material_boye: ?

SoLongLivesThis: Idk how to explain it but it’s been reoccurring for like 2 weeks now

SoLongLivesThis: I’m at a party with people I don’t know, and I’m holding someone’s hand

material_boye: who?

material_boye: ??

SoLongLivesThis: Sorry a neighbor’s car alarm went off, I looked outside to see whose it was

material_boye: in your dream or irl

SoLongLivesThis: Irl lol

SoLongLivesThis: Anyway

SoLongLivesThis: Idk who it is but I’m holding the person’s hand and I get up to stretch or something?

SoLongLivesThis: I was on a couch

SoLongLivesThis: And someone hugs me from behind and I’m pretty sure it’s a guy?

material_boye: is it the same person?

SoLongLivesThis: Idk I don’t see his face

SoLongLivesThis: But I’m scared at first and then I’m being cuddly w/him?

SoLongLivesThis: Then we’re in my school’s gym and he tells me to close my eyes

material_boye: scandalous

SoLongLivesThis: lol

material_boye: then what ?

SoLongLivesThis: He kisses me

material_boye: ?????

material_boye: do u kiss back?

SoLongLivesThis: I do and it’s weird because I don’t think I like guys!

SoLongLivesThis: And it’s a sin, I guess?

SoLongLivesThis: Your family’s really religious, right?

material_boye: yeah, thanks for the reminder

SoLongLivesThis: :(

material_boye: im kidding im kidding

material_boye: go on

SoLongLivesThis: My grandpa always said it was wrong but for religion reasons, I just always believed him

SoLongLivesThis: I mean, my parents and I aren’t completely religious? We go to church sometimes

SoLongLivesThis: But I guess it’s because my mom thought he was smart and stuff so I did too?

material_boye: i get that

SoLongLivesThis: I’m really on the fence about it I guess and idk what to believe

SoLongLivesThis: Because I see two guys/two girls kissing and stuff all the time in public??

SoLongLivesThis: So not everyone opposes it I guess??

SoLongLivesThis: It’s confusing idk

SoLongLivesThis: How do u feel about guys kissing other guys?? I kind of need a second opinion

SoLongLivesThis: Especially from someone with a more conservative perspective on things?

material_boye: its ok

SoLongLivesThis: It’s ok? That’s it?

material_boye: idk, are u expecting like a paragraph?

SoLongLivesThis: I guess not?

SoLongLivesThis: I just kind of thought you’d go on one of ur rambles

material_boye: well if u insist

material_boye: my family’s like the most religious family you’ll ever meet

material_boye: if u didn’t already know or couldn’t tell

material_boye: and they won’t even talk about the gay stuff, it’s like taboo lmfao

material_boye: so i guess it’s wrong, at least for them

material_boye: idk idk i would probably be able to help more if we actually talked about it

material_boye: but i at least think its ok

material_boye: u love who u love

material_boye: wasnt that the entire 1970s, just relax and love everyone? what happened to that

SoLongLivesThis: Yeah, I guess ur right

material_boye: so what else is this about

SoLongLivesThis: ?

material_boye: a dream alone usually doesnt keep u up this late

material_boye: especially a good dream

material_boye: it was a good dream right?

SoLongLivesThis: Idk

material_boye: well it wasnt a nightmare

material_boye: so what else is on ur mind

SoLongLivesThis: Sigh

SoLongLivesThis: I guess there’s this guy

material_boye: so thats what this is all about

material_boye: whats the 411

SoLongLivesThis: I do after-school tutoring for underclassmen and I’m tutoring him

SoLongLivesThis: But he invited me to a concert a couple weeks ago and it was sort of a date??

material_boye: :0

material_boye: why didnt u tell me!!

SoLongLivesThis: Idk I didn’t know how you’d react!!

material_boye: u know nothing u could ever say can make me want to stop talking w/u

SoLongLivesThis: Yeah but

SoLongLivesThis: Urghh

SoLongLivesThis: Idk idk

SoLongLivesThis: After that night is when the dream started happening

material_boye: do u think ur tutoree is the guy in the dream??

SoLongLivesThis: Idk!!

SoLongLivesThis: But I get this feeling whenever he’s around and it’s like

SoLongLivesThis: This is going to sound really cheesy but

SoLongLivesThis: It’s like hot cocoa in December

SoLongLivesThis: U know that feeling?

material_boye: jasper

material_boye: thats love

SoLongLivesThis: ??????????

material_boye: ur in looooooove

SoLongLivesThis: Oh jeez what do I do

material_boye: idk, do what girls do?

material_boye: dress really cute and wait for him to notice u being adorable

material_boye: good things come to those who wait

material_boye: also, patience is a fruit of the spirit

material_boye: ur family’s christian jasper u should know this

SoLongLivesThis: What if he doesn’t notice me?

SoLongLivesThis: And we don’t actively practice, //Daniel//, u should know this

material_boye: lmfao im trying here ok

material_boye: just do what u think is best, thats really all i can say

material_boye: now go to sleep and have that dream again before u have to wake up

SoLongLivesThis: lmao

SoLongLivesThis: Ur the best

material_boye: i know

SoLongLivesThis: Goodnight

material_boye: night

 

[ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO LOG OUT?]

[>YES  |  NO  ]

[LOGGING OUT...]

  
  


The month of November went by quickly, it seemed like it was over and done with before anyone had even bat an eye. Instead of scarce storms of snow, the weather acted out almost every day, with sleet and hail caking the roads. It made driving places difficult, Davey had to retire his motorbike for the season, there’s no way he could drive in those conditions. Tutoring became twice a week, rather than every other day. Finals were next week, and with the way his grades had been looking, Davey had earned the break.

“So what are you doing over winter break?” Davey asked, tapping the eraser on the back of the pencil against the table rhythmically. His other hand was pressed against his cheek, supporting the weight of his head and propping it against the table.

“I don’t know,” Jasper replied vaguely, continuing to work out the equation on the paper, circling and labeling the steps for Davey’s later reference. “I’ll probably just end up babysitting my cousins again while my family goes out for dinner and stuff.”

“That sounds shitty.”

“It’s really not, they need their time away from children, and, well, I can’t blame them. I guess it just lands on me because I’m the oldest non-adult fit for watching the kids.”

“Are you at least going to the winter formal?”

“I don’t think so,” Jasper laughed softly, awkwardly.

Davey set the pencil down, looking at Jasper with raised eyebrows. “Really?”

Jasper continued staring at the paper, but he was well aware of Davey’s gaze. He shrugged his shoulders up gently. “Yeah… I don’t usually dance? It’s sort of not really my thing.”

“You don’t have to dance to have fun though,” Davey interjected, leaning his head to the side a bit in order to gauge Jasper’s reaction. He didn’t seem to notice how close Davey was getting, and if he did, he didn’t seem to mind. “Sometimes it’s just about hangin’ out with some good friends, or your date.”

Jasper sighed. ”Well, that’s the other thing, I don’t really know enough people for it to be worth it? I’d just be by myself the whole night.”

“You’re a junior, right? Correct me if I’m wrong, but you haven’t been to any school events at all, have you?” Davey paused, waiting for Jasper’s interjection, and continuing when it never came, “As insufferable as it might be to have fun, you’ve gotta check  _ some _ things off your bucket list before college. Like going to this dumb thing.”

“I don’t know… I’d rather be at home with my cousins, watching cartoons or something, than standing awkwardly to the side at a dance with people I hardly know.” Jasper seemed almost saddened at the thought.

“Well, if you’re afraid of being alone, do you wanna go with me?” Davey said nonchalantly, tapping his own face with his finger. He yawned a bit, hoping Gwen was right.

Jasper stopped writing, and his heart began beating a little bit faster. His cheeks burned with an intense blush, he could feel Davey’s gaze watching him. The way he said it made it sound like another date. Did he mean for it to come across like that? Maybe he didn't. He probably didn’t. Why would he invite Jasper as a date? Davey probably felt sorry for him. Was the room getting warmer? In any case, Jasper spoke with a hesitant and wavering voice, “You’re… asking me to the winter formal?”

Davey’s eyes widened. He didn’t know how to take that tone, but he took a shot in the dark and decided that it was disbelief. Shit. He knew Jasper wouldn’t be receptive to that, why did he even try? He was quick to amend his words, face flushing with color. “As pals, I meant. Haha. Friends ‘til the end, am I right, Jas? Just two guys being cool heterosexual bros. Unless you wanted to go as not friends, I mean like a couple, because I’d be totally down for it ‘cause you’re super cool, uh.. but like you don’t gotta if you don’t wanna so don’t feel like you have to take me up on it I guess. It would be cool if you did, though.”

Jasper looked up at Davey, eyes wide, blushing a deep shade of red. Davey just kept talking, making eye contact with his tutor, he couldn’t find it in himself to look away. “Uh. I don’t know, dude. I’m making this weird, I’ll stop talking. Unless… unless you’re okay with it, with my awkward stupid shit? Then I won’t stop I guess? But I mean if you want me to, I’ll do that. I just… think you’re a really cool guy. For a square with straight A’s. And it would be cool if you came to the formal with me. I guess. Haha. No biggie though.”

“I’ll go to the dance with you!” Jasper blurted, cutting Davey off before he had the chance to continue rambling. “As your date! If you’re sure you want me to go with you! I’m just so, ugh oh god I don’t know what I’m doing!”

“Me neither!” Davey agreed. Jasper hid his face in his hands, and Davey pulled the collar of his shirt up over his face. “I don’t know what I’m doing and that’s okay! I think I like you!”

“I think I like you too!” Jasper’s heart pounded in his ears, he was so… embarrassed? Nervous? Flustered? Some combination of the three? Whatever it was, Jasper could hardly contain himself, and Davey was dying of embarrassment. It made quite the scene, and a few people in the library hushed them.

Once the two of them had calmed down a bit, Jasper took his face out of his hands, and Davey let go of his shirt. Their gazes met again, eyes wide with anticipation and faces crinkled in muffled excitement. A moment of silence passed before Davey cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms behind his head just as nonchalantly as he had before, but this time with a crooked smile gracing his lips. “Wow, I… didn’t think you’d say yes. Thank you.”

Jasper laughed a little, pulling the sleeves of his sweater over his hands, looking down. “You’re… welcome?”

Davey hesitated but leaned over, draping his arm around Jasper’s shoulders. Jasper smiled, looking over at Davey, leaning into his touch. “So, Jas, how  _ do _ you solve with the quadratic formula?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I'm having too much fun coming up with screennames and chat logs somebody stop me  
> 2\. I don't know how I'm coming up with these chapters so quickly this is like three chapters in four days ??  
> 3\. Yeah bet you weren't expecting that >:3c
> 
> As always, leave your predictions/suggestions/criticism in the comments! I love reading what you guys think!


	6. Stolen Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen finally gets to meet Jasper when he and his date, Davey, arrive at the winter formal.

[Bubbl3gumGw3n IS IDLE]

americanpunkk: gwen

americanpunkk: gwen

americanpunkk: gwen

americanpunkk: gwen

americanpunkk: gwen

americanpunkk: gwen

americanpunkk: gwen

Bubbl3gumGw3n: what

americanpunkk: gwen

Bubbl3gumGw3n: WHAT

americanpunkk: are you busy

americanpunkk: gwen

americanpunkk: 8v

americanpunkk: GWEN

Bubbl3gumGw3n: CALM UR TITS IM PLAYING EVERQUEST

americanpunkk: great so ur not busy

Bubbl3gumGw3n: my guilds abt to start a raid yes im busy

americanpunkk: no ur not

americanpunkk: besides im abt 2 ask u something thats gonna make u ditch ur dumb guild

Bubbl3gumGw3n: its not dumb >:(

Bubbl3gumGw3n: weve been p tight for a few months now FYI

Bubbl3gumGw3n: our tank just lvld up

Bubbl3gumGw3n: and i,

Bubbl3gumGw3n: gwenncakes22, every1’s fav ~pArTy MaGe~,

Bubbl3gumGw3n: got gauntlets in the last raid that give me bonuses 2 spellcasting

americanpunkk: yeah ok sure nerd

Bubbl3gumGw3n: ok now i'm rlly not gonna listen 2 u >:v

americanpunkk: but gwen

Bubbl3gumGw3n: bye >:I

americanpunkk: gwen

americanpunkk: gwen

americanpunkk: gwen

americanpunkk: gwendolyn ellis becker u better come back u scrub

Bubbl3gumGw3n: what could be SO IMPORTANT

Bubbl3gumGw3n: DAVID TOBIAS FLETCHER

americanpunkk: gwen

americanpunkk: i need u 2 teach me how 2b romantic

americanpunkk: ?? did u block me again

americanpunkk: im not srry but pls unblock me

Bubbl3gumGw3n: meet me @ gigis in 10, ur buying

americanpunkk: fuck yeah

americanpunkk: told u

Bubbl3gumGw3n: shut ur yaps lover boy

Bubbl3gumGw3n: u owe me big time

[Bubbl3gumGw3n IS AWAY]

 

Jasper sat on the couch in the living room, glancing down at his lap anxiously. It was still a few minutes before Davey was supposed to pick him up, but he was worried Davey would show up late, like he always did to tutoring. Surely this had to be more important to him than tutoring, though, right?

The agreed upon time came and went painfully slowly, but at the same time, all too fast for his liking. Jasper began to overthink and over-complicate things, as he so often does. Maybe Davey wouldn’t show up at all, maybe he just missed a memo and they were supposed to meet somewhere. Great, now Davey thinks he’s a square _and_ a flake. No, that probably wasn’t it. What if Davey got lost on his way? What if something bad happened? What if he just lost interest, and regretted asking Jasper to the dance? That was probably it. Davey hadn’t arrived yet because he didn’t want to with Jasper go at all. He knew he shouldn’t have said yes.

The doorbell rang, and Jasper was quick to answer it with a smile.

“Hey,” Davey greeted simply. He was dressed nicely, much more formal than Jasper could have imagined him.

“Hey.”

“Oh, you must be David.” A man with fair skin that looked much too young to match  his gray hair smiled, uncrossing his leg.

“Davey,” Davey corrected quietly.

“Davey, meet my mom and dad. Mom and dad, meet Davey,” Jasper introduced the two sets of people with a smile, attempting to gauge the reactions of both parties at once.

“This is one of the ones you tutor, right?” A woman with jet black hair and green eyes, who Davey supposed was Jasper’s mother, asked.

“Yes,” Jasper replied almost formally.

“And you two are going as...” She trailed off, raising her perfectly shaped eyebrows. Jasper tensed slightly at that, trying to think of what to say, and Davey picked up on his nervousness.

“Friends! What do you take me for?” Davey replied, almost defensively. He laughed gently, wrapping an arm around Jasper and pulling him in close. “My girlfriend’s meeting us at the dance.”

“Oh.” Jasper’s dad smiled softly. “Well, have fun you two.”

“Be back by midnight!” Jasper’s mom interjected.

“Can do. Bye mom, bye dad!” Jasper stepped outside and turned back to his parents, waving gently before closing the door.

Davey looked over at Jasper.

“You look much more handsome than your parents. You couldn’t have gotten _these_ genetics from _those_ people. Plus, your mom looks way too young to have a sixteen-year-old kid.” Davey meant it as a joke, but his blonde companion gave off an awkward laugh, and he immediately regretted it.

“Yeah, she’s not my real mom. I never knew my mother,” Jasper admitted softly, looking down at his hands. “Caroline’s been there ever since I was little, so she’s sort of my mom figure I guess? I call her mom, that’s really what she’s been to me.”

Jasper seemed like he didn’t want to talk about it any more. Davey put his hand on the other’s shoulder, offering a sympathetic smile. “Let’s head out, huh?”

Jasper was relieved by the topic change, and that much was apparent. He nodded, looked around, and settled his eyes on a motorbike, the only vehicle near the house besides his parents’ car. It was Davey’s. “Please tell me we’re not taking your motorcycle.”

“Okay, we’re not taking my motorcycle,” Davey replied smugly, passing a helmet to Jasper.

Jasper held the helmet in his hand for a moment, he couldn’t discern whether or not Davey was serious. “There’s ice covering the road, it’s not safe!”

“You should’ve left safety behind when you decided to go out with me.” Davey winked, putting on his own helmet. Jasper could feel his face flush with heat despite the cold air outside, he slipped the helmet on over his head and Davey beat him to securing the chin strap at just the perfect tightness. The redhead found his seat on the bike, starting up the ignition and waiting expectantly. Hesitation and doubt curled Jasper’s stomach into a knot-- so much could go wrong-- but he pushed that aside in favor of straddling the bike, slipping his arms around Davey’s waist, and feeling the warmth pressed against him as they sped off down the road.

The ride was beautiful. As they pulled away from Jasper’s house, snow began to fall softly, covering the streets in a thin blanket of powder that glistened beneath the motorcycle’s headlight. It was cold. The sun had already set, but the sky was still bathed in a golden glow, only slightly blocked out by the clouds drifting along. Jasper felt a sense of peace in that moment, feelings filled his chest with a warmth he hadn’t experienced before. He closed his eyes- not out of fear, but out of contented happiness, and it was over all too quickly. Jasper didn’t let go of Davey, even when they’d stopped moving.

“You awake back there?” Davey asked with a chuckle, removing his helmet. The blonde sighed softly in response, nodding even though the other couldn’t see him, reluctant to let go, taking the helmet off from his head.

Standing expectantly under the awning in front of the entryway was a girl much shorter than Davey. She wore what seemed like rather casual attire for a dance beneath a thick snow jacket, and the bangs of her brunette (in the light, it almost looked a deep maroon), crimped hair were pulled back, but the rest was free-flowing. She had large hoop earrings indented to look like stars, and she held a thin, white cigarette between her index and middle finger.

“Took you long enough,” she said, shooting a teasing glance at Davey as the two of them exchanged a rather complex handshake. Fist bump, right hands clasped, left hands clasped, some sort of hand-sliding snap, arms intertwining, and after that Jasper lost track.

“Whatever, I’m here now.” Davey rolled his eyes, smiling as they concluded the elaborate greeting. The girl’s eyes landed on Jasper, looking him over. He suddenly felt self-conscious.

“Oh my god,” She said under her breath, still loud enough for Jasper to hear it. “You said he was square, but I didn’t think he was _that_ square.”

“I am so _not_ square!” Jasper defended with a huff, fighting back the urge to cross his arms and pout like a five-year-old.

“Okay mister _upperclassman-tutor-with-probably-straight-A’s_ ,” She teased, putting out her cigarette.

“You’re obsessed with your grades, don’t even start.” Davey laughed, draping his arm around Jasper’s shoulders. “Jasper, meet Gwen. Gwen, Jasper.”

“No, really, I can’t believe you think I’m square,” Jasper murmured, leaning closer to Davey and crossing his arms. Gwen laughed gently.

“I’m just teasing, you know that, right Justin?”

Oh no. “Jasper.”

“What’d I say?”

“Is this your ‘girlfriend’,” Jasper diverted, reaching up with air quotations, looking over at Davey. He didn’t think she was, he was on a date with Jasper... right? Unless it was an awkwardly worded platonic winter formal invitation. Oh no. It’s a very real possibility. Were the air quotes rude? Oh jeez.

“Oh yes, we’re madly in love. Can’t you tell from the burning spark of passion?” Gwen replied almost facetiously. She laughed, sticking her tongue out at Davey. “Kidding. I could never date someone who religiously watches _‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’_.”

Jasper laughed softly, looking over at Davey. He could practically see the comeback brewing in Davey’s mind. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, but to be fair I’d don’t think I could date someone who ate a stick of butter thinking it was cheese.”

“I was drunk!” Gwen defended, becoming more than a little flustered. “At least I didn’t streak through campus wearing a dog mask!”

“Oh my gosh, that was you?” Jasper asked surprisedly, covering his mouth with one hand to muffle his laughter.

Davey’s face was reddening. “Shut the fuck up you look like a trash tv contestant.”

“You watch enough of ‘em to know, and you’re one to talk, Billie Joe wannabe.”

Oh no. Things were starting to get heated.

“Get outta here before I teach you a lesson, Kim Kardashian-lookin’ ass.”

“Eat shit, satan.”

Davey lunged at her, quickly putting her in a headlock.

Oh no! Jasper had no idea how to step in, but he needed to do something! He couldn’t just let them fi-

Davey balled his hand into a fist and vigorously rubbed his knuckles against the top of Gwen’s head, ruffling her hair. She shrieked, laughing and struggling to get away. Davey laughed. “I warned you! This is what you get, you fuckin’ punk!”

“Fuck you! I spent like half an hour perfecting this shit!”

“Good, fuck your hair!” When Gwen managed to pull away, her hair was sufficiently ruffed up, and her mascara smudged down into circles beneath her eyes.

“There’s the Gwen I know, raccoon eyes and all.” Davey chuckled.

Gwen punched him in the arm. “Whatever, I’m gonna go scope out the scene. Have fun with your date.”

“Will do.” With that, Gwen had made her way inside, leaving Davey to smooth his coat down, combing a hand through his hair before offering his arm to Jasper. “Shall we?”

Jasper took Davey’s arm with a smile and a gentle laugh, and the two of them entered the gym, decorated to look like a winter wonderland.

Jasper was hesitant at first, but he was enjoying it, moving to the beat with Davey.

About forty-five minutes into the dance, the light dimmed, and the music began to slow.

"Up next we have a song requested by Gwen Becker," The DJ mumbled into the microphone. Davey made eye contact with Gwen across the gym, she gave him a thumbs up.

Everybody paired with their somebodys, girls laid their head on their guys’ chest, and those without a partner made their way to the sides of the gym. Jasper was about to follow, he was stopped by Davey taking a gentle hold of his hand. When he turned to look, everything became perfect. Davey’s other hand found its way to Jasper’s hip, pulling him closer, causing a thick blush to creep up to Jasper’s face while his arm laced around his date’s shoulders. He followed Davey’s lead, swaying side to side, lost in the music and his sparkling green eyes.

The song was over all too quick, yet it felt like an everlasting sensation. The kind that made him understand, a feeling so foreign in a world of uncertainty, and he knew that no matter what happened, he wouldn’t forget this night. Jasper let his head fall into Davey’s chest, and a pair of warm arms secured him in an embrace he never wanted to let go of. He could hear Davey’s heart beat in time to the music.

Davey rested his chin on Jasper’s head, smile finding its way to his lips.

“Davey?” Jasper murmured, barely audible.

Davey hummed in response.

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the end of the Winter Formal scene, just a really good place to stop because wOAH this is long
> 
> Also you're kind of really gonna hate me after next chapter, so enjoy the cuteness


	7. Undercover Martyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected guest interrupts Jasper and Davey's date; Jasper tries something new.

The slow dance came and went, Davey led his date over towards the flanks of the gym, away from all of the vigorously dancing teenagers flailing to an upbeat pop song. The two had let go everything but Davey’s arm, now wrapped comfortably around Jasper’s waist, pulling Jasper to his chest and resting his head in the crook of Jasper’s neck, breathing softly against his collarbone. The two of them leaned into each other with the comfort of couples who’ve been together for years, rocking side to side under tempo of the music while a few people stared.

“It’s 2006, you’d think people would be more open-minded.” Davey murmured. Jasper leaned his head back to press his cheek against the side of Davey’s head, humming in agreement. If cloud nine was made up of warm embraces and the gentle contentment the two boys shared, Jasper was there.

“Hey, can I kiss you?” Davey whispered softly into Jasper’s ear.

Jasper’s eyes widened and he felt a blush rising to his face. He tried to speak confidently, but it came out as more of a quiet squeak. “Uh-- sure?”

“Cool,” Davey replied, pulling Jasper closer and tucking his chin into the crook of his neck. “Not right now, just making sure you’re cool if I pull a romantic gesture out of nowhere. Putting a smooch on reserve.”

“Do you have... lots of experience with this? Y’know, kissing people.”

“Nah. None that I was cool with at least.” Davey’s overuse of the word ‘cool’ told Jasper all he needed to know-- Davey was just as nervous as him, and that brought Jasper comfort.

Jasper found his eyes wandering around the gym lazily, taking in the details he hadn’t before. He wanted this night to be forever embedded in his memories, so he observed everything he could to make it that much more vivid. White construction paper lined the walls, close to the floor, in emmination of snow, and a garland wrapped in christmas lights decorated the tables and basketball hoops. Through all of the colorings, dresses painted to look like delicate flowers, and embarrassing dance moves, a student dressed in crisp white jeans and an impossibly white dress shirt stood out with a smile on his face, looking directly at Jasper.

For a moment, Jasper had difficulty processing this. Who was he, and why was he staring? It was a bit more than creepy, bleached blonde hair combed perfectly and cynically, blue eyes unwavering. And then, the realization washed over Jasper.

“Danny?” Jasper asked aloud, letting go of Davey’s arm and waving with his hand. The blonde smiled and made his way over towards the pair. Davey let go of Jasper’s waist reluctantly, hands disappearing into the pockets of his slacks and standing closely next to Jasper. “It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever!”

“Well, you know how it is, what with my family’s devout perspective on religious practices,” the newcomer stated bluntly in a tone of voice somehow both lulling and attentive, laughing softly. Jasper filled a red solo cup with fruit punch, it had an odd texture as it poured into the cup, but as Jasper hadn’t consumed lots of kool-aid in his life, he didn’t know much about proper thickness. The walking dryer sheet seemed to not even realize Davey was there, so Davey cleared his throat, crossing his arms. Jasper raised the cup to his lips, and the stranger stared intently at the cup as he spoke again, rather abruptly. “Oh! I didn’t realize, am I interrupting something?”

Jasper pulled the cup back with a gentle smile before the cherry (hopefully, he didn’t think he could handle it if it was strawberry) drink had passed his lips.

“Actually-” Davey began, raising a hand as he prepared to say something more.

“Not at all!” Jasper interjected politely, holding the cup rather awkwardly in his dominant hand. The stranger’s eyes moved from the beverage to the person holding it, smiling.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” He hummed, crystal blue eyes drifting back towards Davey in muted curiosity.

Jasper’s eyes widened like it hadn’t occurred to him to introduce the two, eyes flickering between both, only just noticing the similarities between them as he spoke, “Right! Sorry. Daniel, meet David; I tutored him this semester, and we’re kind of on a date?”

“Davey, and yes, we’re on a date,” Davey stated coldly. He narrowed his eyes, staring at this new guy-- Daniel, was it? Daniel was giving off some weirdly creepy vibes, and he didn’t like it at all.

Jasper continued with his introductions, “Davey, this is Daniel; our parents used to be really good friends.”

“ _ Used _ to?” Daniel emphasized with enthusiasm, smile faltering gently, almost unnoticeable. “Well, gosh Jaz, we’re not on bad terms by any means!”

“Oh! No no no, of course not! I didn’t mean to phrase it like that,” Jasper exclaimed as if he hadn’t realized that’s how his words came across, “We just aren’t as close as we used to be, your dad’s always busy with his--”

“Practices?” Daniel supplied, lacing his fingers together and letting his hands fall to where his lap would be if he were sitting down.

“Do you ever blink?” Davey asked on the offense, glaring at Daniel, but his remark seemed to go unnoticed.

“His practices,” Jasper amended.

“What does he do, by the way?” Davey tried again, and he was heard this time.

Daniel made eye contact with Davey, then looked back at Jasper again, eyes briefly flickering between the cup in his hand to Jasper’s melancholic blue eyes. The more Davey observed the other, the more he seemed friendly and welcoming, but something just wasn’t right about this situation, it was almost suspiciously calm. “He’s a missionary, sharing our truths with the good people of Sleepy Peak.”

“‘Our’?” Davey echoed, raising an eyebrow up.

Daniel looked at him again, head falling to the side, smile unwavering. “The church’s.”

“Hey, speaking of that,” Jasper began, changing the direction of the conversation as he picked up on Davey’s suspicious vibes. He shifted his weight to his other foot and cocked his head to the side inquisitively, almost mirroring Daniel, “weren’t you moving to Washington? I thought your father was reassigned or something.”

“I am,” Daniel replied, neck correcting itself, rocking forward onto the balls of his feet as he spoke, “headed out of town next week, once this semester’s all wrapped up with a pretty bow!”

“That makes sense,” Jasper smiled. Davey put his arm around Jasper protectively and pulled him close as if Daniel was a threat. Jasper didn’t seem to notice, but Daniel definitely did, staring at the redhead while Jasper finished his thought, “Are you having a going-away party?”

Daniel giggled softly at some unheard joke, parting his hands from one another and bringing one towards his lips to muffle his laughter. His hand remained close to his mouth and his eye contact with Davey was unbroken as he said, “Well... I’ll say this, I plan to go out with a  _ bang _ .”

“Wait, wait, wait, what the fuck?” Davey interrupted before Jasper could respond. The way Daniel annunciated his articulately intricate choice of words sent chills up Davey’s spine. “What do you mean- what kind of a bang?”

“It’s a surprise,” Daniel replied almost automatically. His smile widened-- if that was even possible-- and he brought a finger up, pursing his lips momentarily to emanate a hushing noise. Soon after, he looked at something in the distance, and raised up a hand almost dismissively, eyes returning back to the cup in Jasper’s hand. “It was nice talking to you again, Jaz, but I believe someone’s waiting for me! Message me later?”

“Of course!” Daniel was already several feet away by the time Jasper had responded. Something seemed to occur to Daniel as he was walking, which caused him to hesitate.

“Oh, and Jasper?” Daniel asked, stopping, turning his head slightly over his shoulder. He waited until he had the pair’s attention before he continued, locking eyes with Jasper. “I saw someone spike the kool-aid earlier, I wouldn’t drink it if I were you.”

Jasper looked down at the cup in his hand momentarily in confusion, and when he looked back up, he couldn’t see Daniel anymore.

“That guy’s bad news, Jas,” Davey warned, bringing his arm further around Jasper’s waist, pulling him close. “The neck thing was creepy as fuck, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t blink or breathe  _ at all _ . Doesn’t that raise  _ any _ red flags?”

Jasper set his cup down on the snack table, leaning into Davey’s touch. “I’ve known him since fourth grade, that’s just his personality. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“No, he’d  _ never _ hurt a fly. Sure, a person, but  _ never _ a fly.”

“Davey, be nice,” Jasper scolded, “Daniel’s a genuinely sweet guy, you don’t know him like I know him.”

“He looks like a cultist.” Davey bluntly stated.

“He’s not a cultist,” Jasper retorted, frowning at Davey.

“Oh really?”

“Really. I think I’d know.”

“Maybe that’s the reason your families don’t get along.”

Jasper hesitated. Davey got the feeling it was a sensitive subject. “Well...“

“ _ Sorry we haven’t spoken much lately, you know how it goes, blah blah sacrifices to satan-- I mean religious practices _ ,” Davey mimicked in a proper voice. Jasper laughed softly against his better judgment. “He’s suspicious as hell, are you telling me you can’t see that shit?”

Jasper took Davey’s wrist gently and tilted it to the side to look at the watch wrapped around it. His tone sounded almost panicked. “Oh jeez, it’s already 11:20.”

“Relax, you don’t live that far away,” Davey assured, “and you don’t need to be home until midnight. We still have some time to chill.”

Jasper breathed in deeply and exhaled. He knew he should just calm down, but there was that overachiever in the back of his mind that wanted to make absolutely  _ sure _ he made it home on time. In spite of that bit of his brain he more often than not listened to, he made the conscious choice to trust Davey and his time management skills. That didn’t stop his anxiety from tipping over the edge.

“Hey, breathe. Close your eyes.” Davey supplied, letting go of Jasper and clasping their hands close. Jasper did as he was told, letting his eyes pull shut. He followed his breath in... and out. In... and out. In...

He almost didn’t notice when Davey had leaned in closer. Jasper could feel the other’s breath against his face, he smelled like fresh peppermint and the gentleness of the summer sky. Jasper kept his eyes closed, a sense of calm washing over his body. He could feel his anxiety dissipate like a bath bomb in the ocean of serenity.

The moment their lips collided was magical. It wasn’t like the Hollywood romances seen on TV, it wasn’t a spark of passion spliced into an intricately written book. It was a human feeling, a gentle feeling, and Jasper wished it would never end. His head drifted to the side, and Davey’s arms found their way around his waist again, everything in that moment was beautiful. In a way, it was almost underwhelming-- almost, but not quite. Jasper had always imagined his first kiss to be one of infatuation, one of an intense simplicity, but the warmth and the comfort in this kiss with Davey was magical all in its own way.

When their faces barely drifted away, Jasper sighed softly. His eyes remained closed as Davey pressed their foreheads together, time had seemed to stop in its tracks to make way for the two, close, feeling each other's breaths against their faces.

Jasper’s eyes flew open and he took a step backwards from Davey, feeling his face flush with heat as his mind began to process what had just happened. His heart was racing. Davey took Jasper’s hand in his own, and Jasper exhaled softly, hugging Davey close.

The rest of the dance was a blur, and so was the drive home. They arrived at Jasper’s doorstep a few minutes before 12, facing each other with a look that said  _ I’m not ready for this night to end _ . Jasper smiled softly, averting his gaze to the ground as he fidgeted with the cuffs of his shirt, holding his breath in anticipation. “Thanks.. for inviting me to the dance.”

“Thank you for accepting,” Davey replied rather politely, taking Jasper’s hands in his own. Jasper leaned up towards the other, eyes flickering between the two emerald irises that stared back at him. His nerves and the butterflies tickling the lining of his stomach overtook him, and he instead pulled Davey in for an awkwardly timed hug.

“I’ll, uh, see you on Monday,” Jasper said.

Davey chuckled, pecking their lips together quickly as he let go of Jasper’s hands. “See you Monday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always! If you guys have questions/suggestions/critiques/predictions, leave them in the comments below!
> 
> Especially predictions. What do you think Daniel meant by "out with a bang"? :3c


	8. The White Cross

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not even going to give a summary for this chapter ;)

Jasper was never one to be distracted from class. He was the type of teen who payed avid attention to the lesson, devoured the textbook, and worked furiously on the assignments at hand with a passion not too common to kids of his age, yet he found himself on the back end of the teacher’s pointer as he’d subconsciously decided that doodling hearts on the corner of his paper was a better plan than focusing on the lecture. He apologized and closed his notebook, folding his hands on the table in front of him and trying his best to listen, but his mind continued to wander into the more romantic side of his imagination. He knew he should be paying attention, since finals were next week, but he just couldn’t-- he was simply too lovestruck. Besides, who needed a week of review, anyway? Jasper decided he’d much rather be spending his time with Davey than be sitting in this class right then.

Did he just think that?

Jasper turned his attention to class-- even if it wasn’t for long, he was still trying to listen. As he became more aware of his surroundings, quite a few students were missing from school. Maybe there was some freak virus going around. As Jasper looked out the window, he expected to see the football team playing a practice game and the track team, literally, running circles around them. Instead, there were only a handful of people, and they were huddled in hushed discussion.

The rest of the day happened too quickly, but at the same time, much too slowly. Classes went by, and Jasper caught himself daydreaming instead.

The weather outside was beginning to clear up in spite of it still being December. Today was the second day it hadn’t snowed in about a month, which was good for the sports teams and photographers of the school, but Jasper secretly hoped the snow would come back soon.

With this week being the last week before finals, the material Jasper would be tutoring Davey through was just review from the rest of the semester, but in all honesty, Jasper would rather just be with Davey aside from lessons. Watching a movie, sitting in the park... kissing. Maybe. Tutoring felt a bit too formal for the experiences they’d shared together, but he supposed he didn’t really have a say in the matter.

So, with that in mind, Jasper heaved open the door to the library, half expecting Davey to be sitting there, yet he wasn’t surprised when the table was vacant except for a blonde teenager seated at the far end, book clasped between two perfectly manicured hands, propped up almost suspiciously. She reminded Jasper of Daniel.

When Davey arrived fashionably late, Jasper had already prepped for their session and was ready to go. He had a notebook laid out in front of him, open to a single page with a list of the topics they needed to review. He and Davey were going to go through them to see what he still needed help with, a-

Jasper’s thought was cut off by Davey’s lips, pressed softly against his own. His heart skipped a beat. When Davey pulled away, he laughed awkwardly, eyes searching Jasper’s face in an attempt to see any signs indicating whether or not Jasper was okay with that, but decided to apologize anyway. “Sorry, I’m needy.”

“No, it’s okay, that was nice.” Jasper assured, smiling, picturing how dumb he must look with all of the blood rushing to his face. He looked away. Davey sat next to him, glancing over his shoulder at the list.

“ _ ‘Fall Finals Review List’ _ ,” Davey read out loud. “And with a little heart drawn next to it? Aw,” He smiled. “You’re adorable. Is that all the stuff we have to go through?”

“Well, it’s the stuff we should at least review this week,” Jasper commented, tactfully ignoring the fact that he’d doodled that heart waiting for Davey. “Finals are almost here, and I want to make sure you’re prepared.”

“Prepared shmepared, let’s go for a walk. It’s nice outside, who knows the next time we’ll get a warm day during winter.” Davey proposed, smiling. Before Jasper even had time to react, he found himself slipping the notebook back into his backpack, gentle smile resting on his lips as the two of them stood and left the library. Jasper didn’t protest, he was secretly hoping they’d end up doing something like this, anyway.

Once they’d walked a little ways, and came to the conclusion that sitting at a picnic table in the park was what they wanted to do, Davey observed Jasper with a mild intensely that was foreign to him.

“Hm,” Davey hummed in thought, searching eyes resting on Jasper’s face. He narrowed his eyes inquisitively. “It’s been bugging me all semester. It’s probably déjà vu or some French shit, but I just can’t shake the feeling I know you from somewhere else.”

“Is that another pickup line?” Jasper asked in a tone that was either joking or serious. The probability of either was equal, he wasn’t really sure what to sound like, since he wasn’t really sure what to think. “Or a set-up for a joke?”

“No, I really think I’ve met you before, I just can’t remember where.”

Jasper squinted at Davey. “Y’know, I have to say I get the same feeling.”

“Maybe we knew each other in a past life, and our romance is drawn together from the mysterious powers of passion in another lifetime,” Davey teased, sticking out his tongue. Jasper laughed softly, smiling. “Hey, speaking of romance, would you be down to play 20 questions? For all that we’ve been through, I feel like I don’t know the basic things, like your favorite color.”

“It’s yellow,” Jasper’s smile grew. “What about you?”

Davey smiled back. “Red.”

 

Davey was almost half an hour late to tutoring that Tuesday. Normally, it wouldn’t have phased Jasper, but their interaction yesterday worried him.

Something smacked into the door behind Jasper, causing him to jump in surprise before Davey pushed through, panting and breathless, hair ruffled in a wild manner that couldn’t have been planned. Instead of a well-coordinated and fashionably punkish outfit like usual, Davey had a pair of loose, baggy jeans and a plain black sweatshirt. “Jasper your friend’s a fucking cultist!”

“What?” Jasper asked, catching his breath from the sudden startle and standing up from his seat, setting the pencil down in the groove of the composition book, where the pages were bound together.

“The... the guy!” Davey urged, pointing to himself in frustration. “Future Krispy Kreme worker? Blonde? Looks like a toothbrush had sex with a mozzarella stick?”

“Danny?”

“Yeah him!” Someone shushed the two of them, probably a student studying for their finals. Jasper apologized. Davey grabbed Jasper’s arm gently and pulled him outside, in hopes of having a bit more privacy. “You have to stop talking to him.”

Jasper raised an eyebrow. “Davey, what’s this about?”

“You just have to trust me,” He began, putting up both of his hands as if he was attempting to assure Jasper that he wasn’t crazy. Davey next spoke slowly, articulately, and with a refined sense of urgency, “he’s a really bad person, and you have to distance yourself.”

“I’ve known him longer than you have, he’s not-” Jasper paused, and a look of realization donned his features. “Are you jealous of Daniel?”

“As if!” Davey practically yelled, and Jasper was glad they’d gone outside of the library to have this discussion. “I’m not-- no, I’m not jealous of your shady cultist playmate!”

“You’re either jealous, or you’re trying to pull me into a toxic relationship.” Jasper crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes knowingly. “I’m in AP psych, Davey, I know what I’m talking about and I’m not going to let you isolate me. That is like, red flag number one for bad relationships!”

“No it’s fucking not, I’m-- god damn it, Jasper! You’re not listening to me!” Davey’s voice adopted a desperate tone, which made Jasper hesitate for a moment. “This isn’t about a relationship, or jealousy! I’m not trying to isolate you, I’m trying to protect you!”

“Protect me?” Jasper asked rhetorically, almost incredulously. Regardless of the implied rhetoric, Davey nodded. “From Daniel?” Davey nodded again. “Why would I need protection from him? He’s a sweetheart!”

“No, he is definitely  _ not _ a sweetheart. Listen-- I don’t want you to say anything until I’m done, just let me talk, please?” Davey paused, but not long enough to give Jasper the time to respond. “Daniel was giving off some whack vibes on Saturday, but you knew that already, and last night at like one in the morning and I saw him again walking somewhere with this big and suspicious duffle bag, it was like, body-sized and lumpy and... well, okay, I know this sounds stalkerish, but I kind of followed him home and--”

“What-- what do you mean you  _ ‘kind of’ _ followed him home?” Jasper interrupted with a look of almost disgust. “That’s  _ totally _ stalkerish, and  _ so _ not cool!”

“No no no I know but listen, this is important!” Davey insisted. “I saw where he lived and fo--”

“You can’t just follow people to their houses! That’s literally the definition of stalking!” Jasper interjected, taking a step back from Davey’s touch and gesturing largely with his arms.

“You’re not listening! He’s--”

“No,  _ you’re _ not listening! You can actually get arrested for doing what you just did! What were you  _ thinking _ ?”

“Daniel’s dad’s the leader of the White Cross!”

“The White--” Jasper cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes at Davey with a look of frustration and confusion. “No he’s not! Daniel and his dad are genuinely nice people, they could  _ never _ do the things the White Cross is accused of! Do you even hear yourself? You sound like some... doomsday conspiracy theorist! Where did you even hear that?”

“Online! I--”

“And you believe it?”

“There’s a shit ton of articles mentioning him for the past like eight years!”

“If he’s the leader of the White Cross, why haven’t they arrested him?”

“He’s not, it’s his dad! And-and it’s because the police-- they can’t trace him! It’s like-- they can’t figure out where he is until he does something huge, and by the time they know where he is, he’s gone off to another state or something!” Davey took a step forward to close the growing gap between the two and rested his hands on Jasper’s shoulders, staring into his eyes with an intensity that brought a feeling of dread over Jasper. “That’s why he’s moving to Washington, Jas! He did something, or he’s doing something right now, and he’s going to leave before he gets caught!”

“Davey, this...“ Jasper brought his hands up and rested them on top of Davey’s, face scrunching in concern. “This is really far-fetched, I mean, you’re going off of things you read on the  _ internet _ ! Literally anyone can post anything, and that doesn’t mean they’re true.”

“But... it’s true! I’ll show you!” Davey flipped his hands over and grabbed Jasper’s. “Please, you have to believe me, or- or at least hear me out!”

Jasper’s gaze flickered between Davey’s eyes again, trying to decide whether or not this was some sort of a joke, a hoax, or... something else, he wasn’t sure what. Yet the unwaveringly determined eyes that stared back at him showed no signs of hesitation or anything indicating that Davey had anything to gain from this. Or, maybe...

Jasper closed his slightly gaped mouth and nodded firmly. Davey laced their fingers together and broke off into a run, leaving Jasper to stumble along behind him.

 

Davey’s house was small and messy, and the people around were almost the polar opposite of Jasper’s family. A teenager who Jasper could only assume was Davey’s brother laid passed out on the couch, with a slice of pizza in one hand and the tv remote in the other. The adults that were probably Davey’s parents sat in the kitchen. His mom was smoking a cigarette and talking in a forced and hushed voice, and his dad seemed to be adamantly rummaging through the cabinet for something. Jasper only saw them briefly as Davey greeted them and dragged the blonde teenager to his room.

Davey practically threw himself into his chair and began to boot up his P.C., Jasper took the time to look around the room and take in the punk and grunge decor. He recognized two of the posters, but the rest of them might as well have been in a different language. A well-groomed bass guitar sat propped up in a spotless stand next to the computer, and a small photograph of a group of kids at a campgrounds sat framed and propped up against the monitor.

“Look!” Davey said, pushing away from his computer and forcefully gesturing at the screen. The article was titled,  _ ‘Cannibal Crisis? White Cross Strikes Again’ _ . “See what I mean? Look-- here, it says that they locked a bunch of people in a room and made them resort to cannibalism for their stupid god!”

“I-” Jasper began before Davey stopped scrolling, highlighting the image at the foot of the page. Staring back at Jasper was a smiling Daniel, accompanied by both of his parents, all dressed in crisp, clean, white clothing. Jasper covered his mouth with one hand. “No way..."

“He’s a terrible person, Jasper, I don’t know how he acts around you but here’s  _ proof _ that he’s not the person you thought he was,” Davey urged, standing from his chair and watching Jasper’s face, looking for his reaction.

The reaction was definitely there. Jasper’s eyes were wide in shock as he sat down on the corner of Davey’s bed, holding his head in his hands. Davey rose from his chair and seated himself next to Jasper, placing a comforting hand on his back. “Davey, it’s... I mean, we’ve been friends since childhood, how could I have missed this?”


	9. Hello :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper decides to do extra research, cut-short by an unexpected encounter with an unknown person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AIM chatlogs return after several chapters of absence!
> 
> WOW this is a HEAVILY dialogue-centric chapter that took me too long to write, I really didn't mean to make this so thick, I apologize in advance yikes

[5:38 P.M. 12|17|06]

 

[WELCOME TO AOL INSTANT MESSENGER]

[SCREENNAME: SoLongLivesThis]

[PASSWORD: *********]

 

[WELCOME BACK, SoLongLivesThis!]

[YOU HAVE: TWO (2) UNREAD MESSAGES]

 

[TWO (2) NEW MESSAGES FROM Bubbl3gumGw3n]

 

Bubbl3gumGw3n: jacob are you free

Bubbl3gumGw3n: my homie + i are gonna hit up the arcade and fuckin WRECK the ddr high scores wanna come

SoLongLivesThis: My names Jasper, it says so on my profile!!

Bubbl3gumGw3n: jasper, jacob, same thing

Bubbl3gumGw3n: ur a dweeb either way

Bubbl3gumGw3n: so r u in

SoLongLivesThis: That’s ok, you can go without me

Bubbl3gumGw3n: r u sure? 8T

SoLongLivesThis: Yeah, I have some stuff I have to do

SoLongLivesThis: Thanks tho

Bubbl3gumGw3n: lame

SoLongLivesThis: Ik, I’m the lamest

Bubbl3gumGw3n: :p

SoLongLivesThis: Play Wannabe at least once for me?

Bubbl3gumGw3n: can do

Bubbl3gumGw3n: oh did u hear spice girls r coming out w a new album soon

SoLongLivesThis: Oh no way! Radical!

Bubbl3gumGw3n: lol

Bubbl3gumGw3n: anyway

Bubbl3gumGw3n: ttyl

SoLongLivesThis: ttyl

[Bubbl3gumGw3n IS IDLE]

 

Jasper was vague on purpose. He knew that if he explained to Gwen what he was doing, which was further research to support what Davey had told him only an hour prior, she’d ask questions. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Davey, it was moreso that he needed further evidence for his own personal closure.

He minimized the browser, and launched Firefox, typing in the name of the infamous cult Daniel and his family was associated with. A few articles in, and Jasper received a notification from AIM.

 

[BUDDY INVITATION FROM _xFAIRYlightsx_]

[INVITE MESSAGE: Hi, Jasper! I’m a friend of Davey, he told me he wanted me to introduce myself to you :)]

 

[ACCEPT BUDDY INVITATION?]

[ >YES |   NO ]

 

_xFAIRYlightsx_: Hello :)

_xFAIRYlightsx_: It’s nice to meet you, Jasper!

SoLongLivesThis: Hi, it’s nice to meet you too!

SoLongLivesThis: So, how long have you known Davey?

_xFAIRYlightsx_: How much do you know?

SoLongLivesThis: ?

_xFAIRYlightsx_: How much do you know?

SoLongLivesThis: What do you mean?

_xFAIRYlightsx_: It’s a fairly simple question, Jasper :)

SoLongLivesThis: I don’t understand, how much do I know about what?

_xFAIRYlightsx_: I think it’s in your best interest to answer the question, Jasper :)

SoLongLivesThis: That sounds

SoLongLivesThis: Threatening

SoLongLivesThis: Uh

SoLongLivesThis: I really don’t know what you’re talking about?

_xFAIRYlightsx_: I think you do :)

SoLongLivesThis: I think I don’t? I’m really confused

_xFAIRYlightsx_: I’m going to say this once, Jasper.

_xFAIRYlightsx_: Your friend Davey has come across some information pivotal to the success of the group I represent,

_xFAIRYlightsx_: And you were seen with him on the day in question.

_xFAIRYlightsx_: Now, how much do you know?

SoLongLivesThis: Woah woah, no wait

SoLongLivesThis: Who are you?

SoLongLivesThis: What “group” are you talking about?

_xFAIRYlightsx_: Answer the question, Jasper :)

SoLongLivesThis: No, you answer the question, whatever your name is!

_xFAIRYlightsx_: The details on my end aren’t important.

_xFAIRYlightsx_: What is important, however, is that you disclose the information Davey has entrusted you with :)

SoLongLivesThis: I really

SoLongLivesThis: Really don’t know what you’re talking about

_xFAIRYlightsx_: No?

SoLongLivesThis: No

_xFAIRYlightsx_: That’s unfortunate :)

SoLongLivesThis: I’m sorry?

_xFAIRYlightsx_: Oh, there’s no need to apologize!

_xFAIRYlightsx_: I don’t view you as any different of a person for lying, Jasper :)

_xFAIRYlightsx_: Judgement day will come soon enough, and your actions in refusal to surrender information will be brought to the attention of our lord, Xeemug, and he will be the one to punish you for your uncooperation :)

_xFAIRYlightsx_: I only pray he has mercy on the souls of the non-believing, sinning, god-fearing infidels such as yourself :)

 

[UN-BUDDY _xFAIRYlightsx_?]

[ >YES |   NO ]

 

[BLOCK _xFAIRYlightsx_?]

[ >YES |   NO ]

 

Jasper took a shaky breath and rubbed his entire face, staring at his conversation with... whoever that was. Was that someone that... someone in the White Cross? It had to be someone from the White Cross. Who else could it be?

Jasper had heard horror stories about the truth and secrets of... cults... being revealed, and the awful things that happened to those who those who found out the truth. As a consequence of this line of thinking, he couldn’t help but wonder if the person he just talked to was someone sent to... “contain” Jasper.

...That couldn’t be the case though, right?

The  _ ‘new-message’ _ tone startled Jasper from his deep thought. He hovered over the notification, and clicked to open the chat. It was so eerily timed that Jasper didn’t know if he wanted to respond or not, a twisting sensation ground his internal organs into an uncomfortable knot. Better to send something borderline facetious and tangent-creating to hide how afraid he was, right?

 

[NEW MESSAGE FROM material_boye]

 

material_boye: your boyfriend is stalking me.

SoLongLivesThis: He’s not technically my boyfriend

SoLongLivesThis: Technically

SoLongLivesThis: I mean

SoLongLivesThis: I have no idea, we haven’t really labelled it

material_boye: he followed me home, i hardly think the logistics of the relationship are important.

SoLongLivesThis: Yeah, he told me about that

material_boye: about the stalking or the logistics of relationship statuses?

SoLongLivesThis: The stalking

material_boye: he told you?

SoLongLivesThis: He told me

material_boye: what else did he tell you?

SoLongLivesThis: Oh, you know

material_boye: no i dont know.

material_boye: jasper, what did he say?

material_boye: ignoring this does nothing, can we please just talk?

SoLongLivesThis: Look, Daniel, I don’t want to talk about it

SoLongLivesThis: Some person just messaged me asking the same thing and I’m just trying to calm down from it, they were being really passive and it was kinda scary

material_boye: it might help if you talked it through, though.

material_boye: you know you can trust me with anything :)

 

Jasper’s mind raced as he read that line again. And again. And again. A feeling of deep dread began to settle into his stomach as he tried to decide if Daniel was being intimidating and fear-mongering on purpose. His hands hovered over the keyboard shakily, and his mind willed him to type something in response, but it was several minutes until he’d regained the composure to send back a message.

 

SoLongLivesThis: Daniel, that’s not funny!

material_boye: i'm not joking.

material_boye: you know that telling secrets and sharing experiences relieves a large amount of emotional stress and leads to a feeling of safety and serenity?

material_boye: i’ve told you that before, haven’t i?

SoLongLivesThis: You’re really starting to freak me out

material_boye: there’s no need to freak out, it’s okay.

material_boye: i care about you, and i’d hate it if david gave you false information about me.

material_boye: don’t overthink things. i only want you to feel safe.

SoLongLivesThis: Well I don’t really feel safe right now!

material_boye: whatever misinformation david has been spreading about me, i can assure you it isn’t true

SoLongLivesThis: Oh, so you’re not a cultist that murders people?

 

_ Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Why would you say that? What do you have to prove? Fuck, now he’s going to kill you or some shit! _

Daniel took too much time to respond. Jasper’s anxiety levels were through the roof.

 

material_boye: no, i’m not a cultist that murders people. is that what he told you?

SoLongLivesThis: No!

material_boye: then, how did you come to that conclusion?

SoLongLivesThis: I heard a rumor!

material_boye: you heard a rumor?

SoLongLivesThis: No! No. There’s no rumor.

material_boye: are you okay?

SoLongLivesThis: Yes! Never better

SoLongLivesThis: Actually, I have to go, my mom and I are going to see a movie and I forgot about it

material_boye: oh, i see

SoLongLivesThis: So

SoLongLivesThis: I will get back to you

material_boye: i look forward to it :)

 

[ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO LOG OUT?]

[ >YES |  NO ]

 

Jasper unplugged his computer from the wall. His entire body felt dizzy, and no matter how deeply he breathed, the room around him stayed hazy and warm. He felt like what he needed right then was to go for a walk to clear his mind, yet the dreadful air of doom that slung itself over and across Jasper’s head threatened to settle into a suffocating bubble that whispered words of discomfort to him. Leaving the house is dangerous right now, if Daniel really is who Davey (and all of the internet) says he is. It was a stupid thing to think, but all Jasper wanted in that moment was to feel safe.

He wondered if Davey was safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is becoming more of a drama-mystery-horror story than romance whoops, but hey I'm not sorry, I'm having fun writing this :p
> 
> I promise we'll get back to the Good Stuff™ soon though--


	10. Late Nights and Late Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small peek into Davey's life, and White Cross resolution.

Davey did not feel safe.

In fact, whatever word would describe the polar opposite of safe is how he felt. Whether Davey was willing to admit it or not, he was scared and concerned for himself and Jasper, and worried and anxious about the secrets he’d uncovered and the potential consequences of having told Jasper. He needed to know, and Davey stood by that, he just hoped Jasper would be okay. If need be, Davey was ready to throw hands for his boyfriend, except that term didn’t exist in 2006, so he was willing to fight for his love.

It didn’t help that Davey operated on little to no sleep for the past few days. His parents had been yelling more and more lately. Yelling at each other, yelling at Davey’s older brother, yelling at Davey, yelling at the phone. Davey’s sister says they’re getting a divorce, but she’s known for making shit up anyway, you can’t expect much else from a nine-year-old.

Davey’s messages to Jasper were going unread, or they weren’t going through at all, which only served to amplify his anxiety over the cult situation. Davey supposed that it was late, so maybe Jasper had just logged out for the night. It didn’t make sense, since he’d been trying for hours to contact the other, and the answer Davey’s mind came up with was absolutely incorrect and he knew it, but he chose to stop thinking about it and instead resolved to find Jasper during school hours and make sure he was okay then.

A strong voice called from a different room, “I can’t fucking believe you! I don’t know how I ever loved you!”

“Don’t you raise your voice at me, the kids are trying to sleep.”

Davey’s weary mind and restless body collapsed into his bed in yesterday’s clothes, pulling the comforter around him. The voices in the living room picked up louder, arguing. Davey pushed the pillow over his head, trying to block out the sounds he’d grown so used to. Somehow, as usual and frequent as they were, he couldn’t stop himself from listening in.

“No! I’ll raise my voice all I want, and you can’t do  _ shit  _ about it, Jeanine!”

“Keep your fucking voice down, or so help me!” A noise of shifting and movement was heard. “Thompson David Fletcher, where do you think you’re going?”

“Out.” And the front door all but slammed closed.

Davey’s mom murmured something unintelligible under her breath, and the door opened again. “Tom! Get the fuck back here! We are  _ not _ raising David and Sophia in a broken household!”

The sounds of the house died down, and after a few moments, a young redheaded girl peeked her way into Davey’s room. She looked at him with wide eyes and furrowed her brow, shuffling her weight from foot to foot, speaking quietly. “Davey? ...Are you awake?”

“What are- Sophie, why aren’t you asleep? It’s like one in the morning,” Davey asked softly, pushing his body upwards into a seated position.

Sophia looked down, hands clenching the hem of her pajama shirt. “I heard mom and dad yelling at each other. I told you they were going to get a divorce.”

“Just ‘cause they’re arguing doesn’t mean they’re getting a divorce,” Davey replied rather emptily. He didn’t believe the words he was saying, but he didn’t have the heart to tell his little sister that she was right.

Sophia stood in the doorway with uncertainty, before Davey opened out his arms and nodded towards her. Her first few steps trembled until her legs buckled, sending the girl collapsing into her brother’s arms. She cried. Davey stayed close to her, offering what little comfort he could before Sophia retreated back to her bedroom.

Davey stayed awake for a few hours more, listening to the quiet of the house and the gentleness of the two adults creeping back into the home with hushed whispers before the beating of his heart lulled him into a cold and dreary sleep.

 

Davey woke up the next morning and it was light outside, drops of sunlight fluttering through the almost-shut blinds running parallel over his window. He turned to look at his alarm clock, and found that it had been unplugged, and his eyes widened. He flew out of bed and ran into the kitchen, looking up at the clock over the hallway. His mother seemed surprised at him.

“David, it’s almost eleven o’clock, why aren’t you at school?”

“Shit!” Davey ran back to his room, socks slipping and sliding against the wood floors.

“Watch your language!” His mom called back.

Davey slung his jacket over his shoulders and held his shoes in one hand, rushing over towards the door and hopping on one foot to put his shoe on. “Sophie unplugged my alarm clock!”

“You’ve already missed half the day, why are you rushing to get to school? Just stay home and do whatever it is you do before that stupid tutor takes up your afternoon,” Davey’s mom said cynically. Davey paused, looking at her with a blank expression, why  _ was _ he rushing to school? Her eyes widened softly, but she did well hiding her epiphany. “You’re not turning into a college boy, are you?”

“Fuck no--”

“David Tobias Fletcher, watch your  _ language. _ ”

“No, I’m not, mom,” He flinched, he hated it when his mom used his full name. Davey let his arms relax and his brain whirred trying to think of a response. “I told Gwen I’d meet up with her during lunch hour, and I’ll be damned if I flake.”

Davey’s mom took a long sip of her drink, almost certainly liquor, before she set it down and sighed. “Fine. Go to school. Just don’t get caught by those pi-- truancy officers.”

Davey finished putting his shoes on and grabbed his backpack, rushing out the door. He made it to school breathlessly at noon, the start of lunch break. There were no deans watching the entrance to school, to Davey’s relief, so he slipped his thin body through the chained gap in the gate and tossed his backpack over, catching it on the other side.

The truth was he had no plans with Gwen, but he needed to find Jasper today, to make sure he was okay.

“Now, if I was a square, where would I go for lunch?” Davey murmured to himself, combing a hand through his hair and pulling his sunglasses out of his pocket, equipping them. He came to the conclusion that the best place to start his search was the school’s library, somehow worse than the public library where they met.

Davey pushed open the door, and looked around the room until his eyes landed on a sandy-blonde-haired boy, seated in the corner with a book in his grip. Davey pushed through the crowds of people looking for books and found his way to Jasper, who looked up in pleasant surprise.

“Davey! I never thought I’d see you voluntarily in a library. What’s up?” He paused, noticing Davey’s ensemble, and Davey looked away. “...Are those the clothes you wore yesterday?”

“Yeah,” Davey replied softly, lacing his fingers in Jasper’s and sitting in the chair next to him. “Are you okay? You weren’t answering any of my messages last night.”

Jasper hesitated before responding. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just a little freaked out.”

“Freaked out? What happened?”

Jasper wasn’t sure if he wanted to answer that question, but he trusted Davey, so he leaned in closely, let Davey rest his arms around him, and told him everything with a quiet breath of secrecy.

“I just,” Jasper breathed, “I feel so helpless. I feel like we need to do something, about it, about just this… whole thing. Like we  _ should _ do something about it.” There was a pause, in which Davey made eye contact with an almost mischievous look, and Jasper picked up again. “I mean like, call the police or something. This isn’t a Nancy Drew novel, we can’t just sleuth it out ourselves.”

“What’s stopping us?” Davey asked nonchalantly.

“What do you mean, ‘what’s stopping us’? Lots of things are stopping us, we’re just two teenagers up against an entire cu-- entire religion!” Jasper began to adopt a flustered tone, squeezing Davey’s hand gently as he whispered against the near-silence of the library.

“You can say ‘cult’, we both know it’s true, and you aren’t hurting anyone’s feelings.”

Jasper huffed. “Either way, it’s not like we can just waltz up, start a fight, and win because our moral standards are above theirs!”

“Morals schmorals, we’ll win because we’re dating, and like nintey-nine percent of media nowadays is based on the whole ‘love is stronger than anything’ cliché. Plus, I’m always ready to kick some ass in defense of my favorite square.” Jasper felt his cheeks flush with color. He’d have argued his squareness, but the way Davey said it made it seem much more affectionate and loving than the other times he’d called Jasper a square. Davey laughed softly. “We can’t rely on the police, Jas, you should know this. Haven’t you seen any movies in the last two decades?”

“It doesn’t work like that, movies aren’t real! We can’t get involved!”

“Why not? What’s the worst that could happen?” Davey asked, almost smugly.

“The worst that can happen is we get sacrificed!” Jasper said a bit too loudly. He lowered his voice. “I really don’t feel like dying anytime soon, I’m sixteen and I have so much life to live!”

The school day ended, and they met back up at the non-school library. When everything had been discussed and said and done, the two took the time that would normally be dedicated to tutoring to hold each other close and whisper words of comfort.

Davey approached a payphone that evening on his way home, sending in an anonymous tip to the police.

 

The next images upon the shadowed screen were the coroner reports. Almost 2,000 students at Sleepy Peak High passed away within a week of the school dance. The cause of death was lead poisoning, high amounts from an unknown source. The police think that the poisoning could be traced back to the White Cross, but when they took advantage of an anonymous tip, they’d barely managed to locate Daniel’s family before they disappeared without a trace.

“I guess... we really  _ couldn’t  _ do anything about it,” Jasper said miserably. Davey brought his arms around Jasper and pulled him in close, Jasper sighed gently.

“Hey, at least you didn’t get sacrificed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOF I'm SO SORRY it took like a month to get this chapter out, the holidays were super busy and I was swamped with babysitting my cousins most of the time.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter isn't as long or as good as I'd like to be, but I felt like you all deserved a little something :"0 And besides! I have a solid feel for how this book's going to end (within the next few chapters), so stay tuned!


	11. Winter Weathered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper and Davey have lunch together, hilarity ensues.

Winter finals came and went, Davey had done significantly better on the finals and in class than he would have without Jasper. Whether it was the actual process of learning better study habits, or just having something to look forward to and be motivated by, Jasper’s tutoring seemed to do the trick.

The two had hardly stopped talking throughout the entirety of winter break. For about a week directly following the start of vacation, heavy storms blew in through Sleepy Peak, snowing Davey and Jasper’s families into their houses. The Internet went down shortly during this period, but it had fixed itself up almost as soon as a day later.

  
  


[WELCOME BACK, SoLongLivesThis!]

 

[YOU HAVE: ONE (1) UNREAD MESSAGE]

  
  


[NEW MESSAGE FROM americanpunkk]

 

americanpunkk: loving this weather, hm?

SoLongLivesThis: Nooo, it sucks being snowed in!

americanpunkk: lol

SoLongLivesThis: I wish I could be out doing things.

americanpunkk: like what

SoLongLivesThis: //Anything//, I hate getting stuck indoors!

americanpunkk: tell you what, johnathan

SoLongLivesThis: >:(

americanpunkk: as soon as the weather clears up, well go out and do things together, k?

SoLongLivesThis: I really wish you’d use apostrophes

americanpunkk: the sky commas will not hold me back

SoLongLivesThis: Pfft

americanpunkk: so is that a yes?

SoLongLivesThis: Haha, sure :p

SoLongLivesThis: But we’re walking!! It’s too snowy to ride your dumb motorcycle

americanpunkk: shes not dumb

SoLongLivesThis: She?

americanpunkk: madeline

SoLongLivesThis: You named your motorcycle?

americanpunkk: yeah her name is madeline thanks for asking

SoLongLivesThis: Well, whatever her name is, you’re not driving us anywhere until the snow clears up!

americanpunkk: or what

SoLongLivesThis: Or… I’ll hit you with a snowball!

americanpunkk: you drive a hard bargain, joshua

SoLongLivesThis: Blocked

americanpunkk: :(

americanpunkk: fine, i wont drive us

SoLongLivesThis: Thank you :p

americanpunkk: whatever, nerd :p

  
  


December 30th, 2006 is when the weather began to show a bit more compassion to the residents of Sleepy Peak, not too long before the New Year. On an average Saturday afternoon, Gigi’s Diner was the busiest restaurant in town. Folks from all over town came to the old-fashioned rock n’ roll diner for the sights, the smells, and the atmosphere. The waiters and waitresses were polite (and put on an accent if you asked them to), the food was delicious, and the jukebox played a never-ending stream of good music and fun tunes. The bulk of the blizzard had passed by this time, so the roadways were clear enough that people were willing to drive the distance for a good burger.

This Saturday afternoon was no exception. The small diner was packed with guests eager to escape the house after a suffocating week of entrapment, and in a corner booth sat Jasper, with his back to the window, and Davey, seated across the way.

“I can’t believe that in just one day, give or take, it’s gonna be 2007.” Davey commented, slouching his shoulders forward. “So much is changing, but somehow, I get the feeling 2007’s gonna be full of fun times and good vibes. I mean, for one, I’ll actually get to drive.”

“You drive already,” Jasper replied in confusion.

”Yeah, but you know, legally, I’m not allowed to drive yet.”

“You’re not?” Jasper’s eyes widened. “You have a  _ motorcycle,  _ and I’ve _ridden_ on it, like, a ton of times! How do you not have a permit?”

“What do you expect?” Davey chuckled, and Jasper rolled his eyes softly. Somehow, despite his outward shock, it didn’t really surprise him. “I’m turning fifteen in June, so I can get my permit in December. Then, I can actually pull over when I hear sirens and don’t have to worry about outrunning the cops again.”

Jasper cocked his head to the side, jaw slacking slightly in confusion and shock. “What do you mean ‘ _ again _ ’?”

“What?” Davey grinned, “Who do you take me for, some law-abiding scrub?”

“Well-- I mean, no, but--” Jasper stammered, laughing at his own awkwardness, “You haven’t been  _ arrested _ , have you?”

“Sure.”

“Davey!”

“Only a few times, don’t get your panties in a twist.”

“I mean-- come on! I thought you’d at least--”

“At least what? Follow the law? Yield for the police? I ain’t about that life. I ride in the fast lane, always. Got no time for rules.”

“Jeez, that is  _ so _ not safe!”

“Duh,” Davey gave Jasper a smirk, “Remember what I told you on our way to the winter formal?”

Jasper sighed, smile creeping up to his face in betrayal. “About how I should’ve left safety behind when I decided to go out with you?”

“Bingo-bango,” Davey grinned.

“Well, I’m not letting you drive me places anymore, since you’re an  _ underaged hooligan  _ and I don’t think I want to get arrested anytime soon.”

“But who’ll drive?”

“I’m driving.”

“You’re like, thirteen, don’t even start.”

“I am  _ sixteen,  _ thank you, and I actually have a permit.”

“I think I heard somewhere the laws are changing, and until you get your full license you can’t drive with minors or some shit.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m almost there. A year and two months,” Jasper crossed his fingers and held them up excitedly in a gesture of anticipation.

Davey slouched forward again. ”Huh, that’s wild. You’re turning seventeen this year? God, that’s old. You’re like the high school version of a cougar.”

“No way! That makes me sound weird,” Jasper laughed.

“So, just out of-- out of curiosity, when  _ is _ your birthday?”

“February 14th.”

“February 14th? You were born  _ on _ Valentine’s day?” Davey leaned his elbows against the table, smiling gently, flirtatiously. Jasper nodded in awkward confirmation, laughing softly, fingers twiddling the straw back and forth in his drink. “What’re the odds of that?”

“One in three-hundred sixty-five,” Jasper smiled a little. “Sixty-six if you count leap year.”

“Look at you college boy, figuring out all those statistics. It’s not every day you meet a poindexter. A regular whiz kid. Wild.” Davey grinned, eyes full of taunting mischief.

Jasper rolled his eyes dramatically, making sure Davey took note of his exaggerated exasperation, grinning. “It’s not that much math, actually, it’s just the number of days in question, which is one, divided by the number of days in a year, three-hundred and sixty-five. Or, like I said, three-hundred sixty-six if you count leap year.”

“Smarty smart smart, I’m Jasper, I read textbooks for fun and have a 4.0 GPA.”

“Hey! Don’t sell me short!” Jasper huffed, holding back a smile, “I’ve got like a 4.2.”

It was Davey’s turn now to roll his eyes, largely and noticeably, gentle smile threatening to push to his lips. “Ah, yes, can’t forget about your extracurricular nerd class.”

“And AP credits,” Jasper amended.

“I bet you’re getting like 110% in AP Dork.”

“Actually, I’m in AP Good Comebacks. AP Dork was last year.”

“You’re just digging yourself deeper into the squareness hole.”

“Am not!”

“Are too.”

“Having witty comebacks does  _ not _ make me a square!”

“No, but your 8.6 billion GPA does.”

“What _ ever,  _ Ronald McDonald,” Jasper made a ‘W’ shape with his thumbs and forefingers to accompany his statement, “It  _ so _ does not!”

“ _Ronald_ _McDonald_? Oh you did _not_ , you Bill Nye wannabe!”

“Hush! If you’d agreed to tutoring earlier in the school year, you’d be in the same boat as me, so don’t even start!” He stuck out his tongue playfully. Arguing over Jasper’s strait-laced lifestyle was a routine turned light-hearted, and neither of them really minded passing time this way.

“Oh, shut your yaps and drink your coke!” Jasper laughed at that, and Davey’s teasing look broke through into a more relaxed demeanor, laughing along. “And I didn’t  _ technically _ agree to a semester of Square.”

“You  _ could _ have picked up tutoring earlier,” Jasper pointed out, resting his crossed forearms on the table and leaning into them.

“I  _ could _ have, that’s true,” Davey’s face softened, and he reached for Jasper’s hand across the table. “But if I had, well, then I might not have met you.”

As their fingers intertwined, Jasper’s face reddened, and an embarrassed smile crept up onto his lips. The sassy attitude he’d been sporting throughout the conversation cracked, and he spoke in a softer tone, a flustered tone. “Well-- oh jeez, I-- I’m flattered.”

“No you’re not, flattery is just bullshit designed so that people who want something can get it through manipulation, and that? Yeah, I’m not doing that. This is real shit.” Jasper laughed a little, and Davey smiled gently. “Think about it, if I’d gotten tutored earlier, I’d be getting better grades, sure, but you’d probably have some other twat to deal with.”

“I guess that’s true,” Jasper chuckled, squeezing Davey’s hand gently.

“I bet he’d be even worse than me.”

“I dunno, you set the bar pretty high,” Jasper grinned.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Davey faked hurt, and the two of them dissolved into gentle and giddy laughter.

“Are y’all ready to order?” Their hands broke apart and Jasper’s blush grew as a pink-haired waitress smiled, flipping the pad of paper in her hand over towards a fresh sheet.

 

Lunchtime came and went, and the couple paced along slowly in the snow. Their footsteps made soft crunches in the thick blankets of winter whiteness draped along the ground, and fog escaped their noses and lips with every breath. No words were exchanged, but the silence was comfortable until Davey stopped walking. It took Jasper a moment to notice, and when he turned around, his lips caught Davey’s. The muscles he hadn’t even realized were tense relaxed, and his hands found their resting place around Davey’s shoulders.

When Davey pulled away, before Jasper had the chance to open his eyes again, a handful of snow smacked against his face, and he gasped, laughing at the immaturity of the gesture. “Davey!”

Davey began to laugh. “Got you!”

Jasper giggled, reaching down towards the ground and packing a handful of snow together, throwing it at Davey, who jumped out of its way barely in time. He in turn gripped some snow, pelting Jasper square in the chest. Jasper’s next snowball smacked Davey’s face, and they both laughed.

“Oh, it’s  _ on _ , Nick Carter!” That only caused Jasper to laugh harder, reaching down for ammo as Davey began tossing snowballs in his direction.

Jasper smacked Davey in the shoulder as he attempted to duck behind a parked car. Davey picked up a snowball larger than his hands and chucked it, aiming lower than intended and hitting Jasper’s legs. He proceeded to slide across the hood of the car, gathering up the snow that had settled on the windshield, slapping his cupped hands together and running towards Jasper.

Jasper’s eyes widened and he laughed, running back behind a bench and using it as cover while he forged another snowball, but when he stood to throw it, Davey was right in front of him. As soon as Jasper thought to run, Davey shoved the snow down Jasper’s shirt, and Jasper shrieked playfully. Davey laughed, and Jasper tackled him to the ground. Davey pulled Jasper down, smushing his face into nature’s powdered sugar.

Jasper laughed again, grinning at Davey, who sat on his chest with a fist full of snow. “Okay! Okay! You win!”

“That’s what I thought,” Davey smiled, dropping the snow to the ground next to him and leaning down so their faces were mere inches apart. He chuckled, looking lovingly into Jasper’s ocean-blue eyes, breaths creating a thin layer of mist between the two of them, faces warming from the closeness. “Now kiss me, you loser.”

Jasper giggled, face flushing with color, but he didn’t hesitate before he moved upwards and pressed his lips against Davey’s.

Their love wasn’t like the ones you’d see in the movies, a fast-paced kissing-in-the-rain Hollywood picture of what a relationship should be like. It was soft kisses on a scraped knee, the purr of a kitten. Something indescribable, that you’d be lucky to experience in your lifetime.

Beautiful. Broken, but beautiful. If you shaped it just right, you could see the tinted sunlight streaming through the glass ceiling, and you would smile to yourself knowing everything would be alright.

It wasn’t all beautiful. It came with its faults, too.

Fear of rejection with their speed of love, and fear of the judgement that might become of it. Fear that the gentle sighs of intimacy were only a fantastical daydream, the simple product of a lonely mind. Fear of heartbreak, and fear of doubt. Doubt that morning wouldn’t come, not this morning, not now. Worry that things would suddenly change irreversibly. Anxiety over who might see them together, paired with the acceptance that nothing could sway them.

It wasn’t beautiful, but it was strong. Strength and courage guided the two souls into each other, whispering, enveloping in the tender kisses that spoke words of assurance:  _ Everything is going to be okay. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAD FUN WRITING THE LAST FEW PARAGRAPHS OKAY
> 
> hhhh there was too much time in-between updates and I'm sorry for that ! I was out camping for the weekend, or I would've finished this chapter and published it sooner. As it stands, though, I'm pretty happy with this little bit? It's. Cute. And fun.
> 
> Too much dialogue? Not enough cute? What do you guys think? Leave a comment, I always love hearing what you have to say!


	12. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Davey and Jasper spend New Years together. Jasper is introduced to Davey's friends.

Over the course of many years, the tradition of New Year’s Eve has become a hallmark for resolutions and experience, symbolized by the dropping of a ball to represent the passage of time and rise of new opportunities. New Year, a time for vows to keep us accountable and growing throughout the new times while letting go of the emotional baggage we’ve accumulated. A time to expand upon the things we love the most, while leaving behind the things we don’t. A chance to change ourselves for the better, both individually, and as a whole.

Most importantly, it’s a time for big parties, plastered adults, and hyperactive children staying up way past their bedtimes.

 

Despite his traditions of wild celebrations, cursing, rock music and heavy drinking, Davey accepted Jasper’s invitation to spend New Year’s Eve with him and his family. He arrived fashionably late (the party started at 9:00pm, he showed up at 9:12) as per his behavioral patterns and relaxed exterior, definitely not because he took a nap and snoozed the alarm one too many times. When he got there, Caroline answered the door to let him in, and to his surprise, it was no small gathering. Preteens that were dressed as if they were going to church congregated in the corner, small children ran around rowdily, and little more than a handful of adults wistlessly conversed.

“Davey!” Jasper called when he noticed the newest arrival, pushing through the crowd and giving the redhead a gentle hug. “Glad you could make it!”

“This is… a lot of people,” Davey mumbled into Jasper’s ear, hugging him back. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting this many folks. And they’re  _ all _ related to you?”

“My dad has six siblings, and most of them are married, and have kids,” Jasper explained, “So family gatherings are kind of a mess sometimes. And I usually get stuck babysitting them all, ‘cause I’m the oldest of my cousins, but I think I told you that already.”

The hug had been a little too lingering, they pulled apart. “Why don’t they stick the children with the next oldest? I mean, you should get a break  _ some _ times.”

“It’s a nice thought, but they can’t, really. The oldest after me is Devyn, and she’s only fourteen, so you can’t exactly leave her in charge of everyone and expect good results.”

“What, you have something against fourteen year olds?” Davey accused jokingly.

“Well-- no, it’s just that-- what I’m trying to say is--” Jasper gave up, sighing dramatically and dropping his shoulders down. “You’re right, you’re right. I probably shouldn’t judge her based on her age.”

“You can just say it, we’re both thinking it.” Davey grinned. “It’s a cursed age, fourteen year olds are the-fucking-worst.”

“Davey,  _ language _ ! There are  _ kids _ around!” Jasper scolded, laughing gently. “And besides, fourteen year olds aren’t inherently bad. They’re just… known for being irresponsible sometimes.”

“I’m the most responsible person I know.” Davey couldn’t finish his sentence with a straight face, and Jasper noticed.

“Oh, hush,” he nudged Davey gently with a laugh, taking him off to meet some of the family members.

 

Some time had passed since Davey made the acquaintance of the multiple clusters of relatives Jasper was rather chummy with. The hoards of family crowded around the TV, watching in suspense as the stream from New York Times Square reported on the excited crowd as the minutes drew closer and closer to midnight. The two boys had inconspicuously snuck off into the dining room with a few snacks and some soda shortly after the television had been turned on.

“So, what’s the deal with Amanda and Craig? They seemed super on edge whenever they were within, like, eighty feet of each other,” Davey asked, smiling interestedly and talking with his mouth full of chips, “Hit me up with that familial drama.”

“Amanda and Craig?” Jasper repeated, laughing softly. “Familial drama indeed. Their kids go to the same school, and Amanda’s girl Stephanie really,  _ really _ like trash-talking Craig’s kid, Jeanine. Especially since they’re cousins, so they usually end up getting away with a lot more than the bullies that tease the kids who  _ aren’t _ related to them, y’know? Anyways, according to Devyn, Stephanie spread a rumor about Jeanine, but Stephanie denies it. Regardless of who did what, words were exchanged, then they started fights, suspensions happened, and... it really just escalated from there. The rivalry between them spread to the parents and, as you can tell, they aren’t really on speaking terms right now.”

“What was the rumor?”

“That Jeanine was… something less than classy, I don’t want to repeat it but I think you get the idea.”

“Yikes.” Davey laughed. “Sorry I asked.” Jasper chuckled, cracking open a can of soda. The anticipation in the other room could be felt through the walls as time drifted by ever so slowly, until the countdown from sixty could be heard.

“Yeah, it’s just… really petty. I don’t know, petty stuff always happens between the kids. Usually I’m caught in the crossfire.”

A thought crossed Davey’s mind, and it took him until the clock reached thirty seconds to think it through. He twiddled his hands together anxiously, waiting through several more precious moments before he made up his mind. The group of adults in the other room began counting down: five, four, three, two…

Davey leaned in to kiss Jasper as the word ‘one’ resonated, but at the exact same moment, Jasper drew his drink up to his lips, and Davey ended up kissing the can anticlimactically. Cheering and friendly laughter from the household trickled through the walls as Jasper stared, wide-eyed and awkward.

“Oh! Uh, shit,” Jasper swore, for the first time in a long time, laughing uncomfortably. He forced a smile, Davey shied away and looked down. A gentle, uncertain pause hovered over the two until Jasper leaned down and kissed Davey’s forehead gently. “New Years isn’t a celebration without a kiss, I should’ve known that.”

His embarrassment over a failed romantic gesture wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. The soft and mature action of a peck on the forehead was a tender gesture that made Davey smile in contentment, because in that moment, he knew that he was loved.

 

The last shreds of winter break passed quickly and fluidly like the melting of ice, and the flurried blizzards continued showing mercy, much to the betrayal of the students who’d hoped for a few snow days at the beginning of the semester. The compromise, however, was the thin, unbroken blanket of snow over the school, giving everything a crisp, clean, and wonderful feel before the students marched through the blemishless coat of fresh ice, leaving their tracks behind as a way to prove that they were really here.

Davey had invited Jasper to hang out with him and his friends during lunch for a day, partly since Jasper didn’t have much else to do, but mostly because Davey loved being with him, and if Jasper didn’t know any better, he would say that Davey was eager to introduce him to the group of people he so frequently talked with.

The group dressed in dark colors and lounged around by the edges of the school, pretty far removed from others. A white-haired girl with eyeliner and drawn-on freckles laid across the ground with her head in the lap of a thin boy with his hood up over his face as he played with her hair. On the bench sat a brown-haired spanish girl, and on either side sat a near-identical boy with darker brown hair and matching piercings.

“Hey, you,” The Spanish girl narrowed her eyes. “I get the feeling we’ve met before.”

Jasper knew exactly what she was talking about. “Hm… nope, I don’t think so! You don’t look familiar, I’m pretty sure this is the first time we’re meeting.”

“No, seriously, I’ve seen you somewhere else, I just… can’t put my finger on it.” Most of the group was now fixated on Jasper, staring in contemplation, and his face flared up in embarrassment.

“Well, I’m not too sure about that, us squares all tend to look alike.”

“Hey, wait, a second… Ash, is that who I think it is?” One of the identical boys slouched back, turning to the other identical boy (named Ash, apparently) and the girl.

Ash seemed to come to the same conclusion and finished the first’s sentence for him, facing the two, pointing towards Jasper with his thumb. “I think you’re right, Tyler. That’s the bitch TA that gave Val detention last semester.”

“Oh my god,” The girl looked back at Jasper, narrowing her eyes. “You’re  _ totally _ that bitch TA that gave me detention.”

Busted. “Well, I mean, I didn’t  _ give you _ detention--”

“Don’t give me that ‘you earned it’ shit.”

“No no, that’s not what-- I just  _ recommended _ detention to the teacher--”

She popped her gum loudly, interrupting his explanation. She made an L-shape with her thumb and forefinger, holding it up for Jasper to see. “Recommendation my ass. Get lost before I punch your teeth in, loser.”

“Don’t talk to my boyfriend like that.” Davey wrapped his arm around his love’s waist. Jasper’s heart fluttered at the title of ‘boyfriend’, he smiled softly despite the threat directed at him from just moments ago.

“Your  _ what _ now?”

Davey put an arm around Jasper. “Valerie, Kyla, Zach, twins; this is Jasper. My boyfriend.”

“Hello,” Jasper smiled politely, “nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” The twins spoke in unison, smiling at each other. The one on the left said, “I’m Ash, and this is my twin, Tyler.”

Kyla, the white-haired girl, sat up, staring at Jasper, then at Davey. Zachary, whose lap she was laying on, looked up as well, letting go of her hair. He laughed in disbelief. “Wait, this absolute  _ square  _ is your boyfriend?”

“Yeah, this square’s my boyfriend.” Davey confirmed.

“Him? And  _ you _ ?” Valerie pointed.

Davey rolled his eyes. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“I’m his boyfriend,” Jasper added, he felt giddy just saying that.

Valerie scoffed gently, looking between the two. “You can’t be serious.”

“The square’s his boyfriend, Val. It’s not rocket science” Zachary gave up, rolling his eyes at Valerie.

“Damn it, Davey, why couldn’t you have chosen a good ol’ fashioned bad boy? One that plays keyboard or some shit. Maybe fiddle. But the cool kind.” Kyla chuckled.

“Fiddle? In a  _ punk band _ ?” Valerie asked in exasperation.

“Oh, whatever, you  _ know _ we sound off!”

“That’s because you  _ suck _ at  _ everything,  _ miss ‘can’t sing below an F#!”

“Shut it! I  _ kill it _ when I sing Fiona Apple, and you know it! You’re just a discount Scott Raynor waiting to happen,” Valerie feigned hurt. Kyla stuck her tongue out, turning back towards Davey. “Anyways, I thought he was your tutor.”

“Tutor turned boyfriend,” Davey corrected, smooching Jasper’s cheek to prove a point.

“Since when?” Zachary questioned, making eye contact with Jasper, who smiled awkwardly back.

“Technically, our first date was that Green Day concert back in November.”

“No _ vember _ ?” Valerie echoed in disbelief. “God damn it,  _ that’s _ why you didn’t want to go with me!”

“We went to Winter Formal, too.”

“Why didn’t you tell me!”

“I didn’t think I had to. Honestly, I’m surprised Gwen didn’t tell you already, like, actually surprised. Not even being sarcastic this time, you know how she is about secrets and shit.”

Ash and Tyler snickered, speaking in unison. “Gwen told  _ us _ .”

“She did  _ what _ !” Valerie was outraged. “She told the Grady twins over here and she didn’t tell  _ me?  _ Fucking shit!”

Davey was laughing at this point. Kyla looked over at Davey as she laid back in Zachary’s lap, Zachary spoke again. “Since your lover’s a swagless bookworm, does that mean you’re gonna stop kickin’ it with us?”

“Not necessarily, but if it comes down to it, Jasper’s my priority.”

“Aw,” Jasper said softly, nuzzling into Davey’s side. Valerie faked a gagging noise.

“Don’t go being mean to couples just ‘cause you can’t get a date,” Kyla pointed at Valerie accusingly, and she laughed uncomfortably. “We’re assholes but we have  _ standards,  _ god damn it!”

Jasper laughed along with everyone else, shifting his weight to be slightly more comfortable with a smile.

Kyla studied Jasper’s face for a moment, speaking with a kind and inquisitive voice voice, “Hey, Jared--”

Davey stifled a laugh. Sigh. “It’s Jasper.”

“Jasper,” Kyla smiled, “have you ever worn eyeliner? You’d look good in it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOF that kiss was AWKWARD it HURT me to WRITE
> 
> Lots of character development happened here? And I just kind of threw it at you? Whoops sorry. Don't worry, they're recurring characters, this isn't the last of Davey's Crew,,,


	13. The Better Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Davey has a band.

Everything was so calm about the day. At school, no fights or arguments had broken out, and people were being-- not nice, but tolerant of each other. Even the teachers seemed to pick up on the vibe, and most of the classes were relaxed independent study for the day. When Jasper and Davey picked up tutoring that afternoon, the library was practically empty, save for the librarian and a teenage woman napping in the science fiction section.

Davey chewed on the inside of his lip, neither of them really felt like talking academically that day, so the divergence from the topic of history was welcome. “So I know you don’t  _ generally _ listen to punk rock music, but you dig Green Day, right? It seems like you’d dig them.”

“I dig them,” Jasper confirmed with a smile, combing his hand through his hair. It had been a while since he’d gotten a haircut, and it was starting to get long. “I just haven’t heard much of them since the concert. Or, much of any punk rock, really. Just in general.”

Davey leaned against the desk, tapping his pencil on the mocha-colored wood as he took note of Jasper’s fidgeting with his hair. “Skip your nerd shit and come to band practice tomorrow, I’ll get you educated in the genre.”

“Band practice?”

“I’m in a band. I told you, right?”

“You did  _ not _ tell me! You have a  _ band _ ?” Jasper exclaimed in awe.

“Yeah,” Davey smiled

“Oh geez, that sounds so cool! What do you play?”

“Oh, that’s a really broad question, uh…” Davey ticked off his fingers as he counted, “Smashing Pumpkins, The Offspring, Muse… lots of Muse, actually. We’re pretty much just a Muse and Offspring cover band.”

“No, I meant what instrument do you play?”

“Oh. Bass,” Davey smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“Bass? Radical,” Jasper breathed, smiling, remembering the polished bass guitar oh display he’d seen when he’d been over at Davey’s house.

“First thing’s first before you can listen to The Better Years play, you need to rid your vocabulary of 80s slang. It’s all about the 90s and 2000s now, none of that ‘radical’ shit.”

Jasper laughed at his own joke before he had even said it. “Tubular idea.” Davey rolled his eyes dramatically, laughing. “Your band’s called The Better Years?”

“Yeah, in memory of the better years of our lives. Before shit got real and our actions started  _ meaning _ something, you know? It was that, or Zachary and the Misfits.” They both chuckled at that. “So, guess I’ll message you the 411 later this evening. And-- Baby Cakes? Please,” Davey paused, smile quirking the corner of his lip as he made eye contact with Jasper, “don’t dress like an absolute twink.”

So, when Jasper showed up to Davey’s band practice, he dressed in a plain black sweater with a white-button up beneath it, it was one of the least twinkish outfits he could come up with in his wardrobe. For whatever reason, today in particular, his hair seemed to look especially long when he observed himself in the mirror. He was definitely cutting it soon, and he hoped nobody would notice the length in the meantime.

“Oh, are you growing your hair out?” Valerie remarked with a laugh, as if looking for something to comment on yet her tone was more inquisitive and curious than teasing.

“Well, no, it’s just that… well, my hair’s just getting pretty shaggy, it’s been a while since I got it cut,” Jasper laughed gently, touching his hair self-consciously. “I’m probably going to trim it this weekend.”

“No, don’t, it looks good,” Ash said, smiling.

“It suits you,” Tyler reaffirmed, smiling. The twins made eye contact with each other and smiled knowingly as they stood, inspecting Jasper at a searchingly respectful distance. Davey put a protective arm around him.

“Hm… Tyler, do you think he’s ready to sit in on practice?” Ash looked at his twin, Jasper could almost feel the oddly synchronized connection between the two.

“I’m not sure if he’s ready.” Tyler replied, looking back at Ash, shrugging his shoulders.

“Me either.” Ash fixed his posture to look tall, turning his attention back to Jasper and pointing a finger at him, “If Tyler is thinking what I’m thinking,”

“And I normally am,” Tyler chimed in, also pointing his finger at Jasper.

“You need a makeover.”

“One that’ll make you just a bit more stylish,”

“Not much,” Ash added,

“Just enough so that you can look the part of a punk band roadie.”

Davey shifted so he stood protectively behind Jasper, arms wrapped comfortably around his waist. Jasper felt a blush rise to his face as he relaxed into Davey’s soft grip, resting his hands gently on Davey’s forearms. “Knock it off, you  _ know _ better than to scare my sweetheart like that.”

The twins observed Jasper once more, intensely. Not quite malicious, but definitely mischievous. Tyler almost tauntingly ignored Davey’s concern, and directed the conversation back around. “I think we can make something work.”

Jasper just gazed at them in confusion, and awe at the almost rehearsed speech dynamic. When the two were met with no verbal response, they turned to look towards each other and shrugged. Ash spoke with a slight smirk, reiterating. “Well, to make it simple, we want to give you a punkover.”

“So,” Tyler began. He and Ash moved in unison, turning back towards Jasper, bringing one hand behind their backs, and one outstretched towards Jasper. “What do you say?”

“To a makeover?”

“A punkover.”

“Punkover,” Jasper corrected himself, glancing around the room to see the others’ faces.

“Davey’d probably  _ die _ if you let the twins give you a punkover, I don’t know if his gay little heart would be able to take it, he’s always been one for a hot mess.” Valerie commented, picking at something beneath her nails.

“Hey, shut up, you,” Davey said loosely, and Jasper couldn’t see it, but he could almost sense the glare shot her way.

“Sure,” Jasper agreed with a nod, slightly confused as to what a hot mess was.

“I get to help!” Kyla called, pushing through the twins and putting a well-manicured hand on either side of Jasper’s face. “Hm… I know, we’ll start with the eyeliner, that’s a must-have.”

Davey wasn’t allowed to see what was going on until the grand reveal. The punkover wasn’t much-- just a little eyeliner, eyeshadow to create subtle, faux bags under his eyes, Kyla’s choker, and to top it all off, his bangs were brushed across his forehead in what was almost but not quite a fringe.

When the showcase of Jasper’s punksona was presented, Davey made catcalling noise towards his boyfriend, who blushed in response. “Lookin’ good, sugar!”

“You should get your ears pierced,” Zachary remarked, snapping his fingers together in revelation.

Jasper rolled his eyes, smiling, almost trying to direct his attention away from his own heated face. “I’ll think about it.”

Valerie picked up her drumsticks. “So, now that whatshisface got all punk’d out, can we start off practice?”

“Sure thing, boss,” Davey replied with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. Valerie flipped him off.

As Jasper sat on the couch next to the twins, fighting back the urge to brush his bangs off of his forehead, the band took their places-- Davey grabbed his bass, Valerie sat behind the drum set, Zachary slung his guitar over his shoulder and joined Kyla at the mics.

“Can we start off with Zombie?” Kyla asked hopefully. “I’ve been practicing singing in lower registers, especially with the little blip things Dolores O’Riordan does with her voice and I think I got it this time.”

“Only if we follow up with Sex and Candy,” Zachary purred, “as long as you can keep up.”

“Oh, that is bullshit!” Kyla responded, and they both laughed. “Compromise, I’ll harmonize it with you.” Zachary nodded, she turned back. “You guys cool with those to warm up?”

“Sure,” Valerie and Davey replied, slightly out-of-sync.

“Little- little joke to start things off on a light note;” Kyla leaned into the microphone, holding the stand gently and making eye contact with Jasper, “what do you call a shitty cover band?”

Jasper thought for a moment. “What?”

“Us.”  _ Ba-dum tss. _ “Thank you, Valerie. Anyway, we’re The Better Years, let’s get this shit started.”

Valerie held her fists upwards, gripping the drumsticks in the air, clicking them four times in even succession before Zachary played a soft riff, and the band picked up with their first song.

The first two songs were slower, steady, and everyone remained in sync, relaxed and enjoying their playing, feeling the rhythm on their fingertips. The next two were heavier on the bass and guitar, and the lively energy radiating from the group made Jasper smile and cheer between songs. The group dynamic was so natural, it just screamed good vibes.

“Take five,” Kyla announced once the fourth song had finished playing out, taking a deep breath in and exhaling with an exaggerated, vocal huffing that sounded much like growling.

“Don’t fuck up your voice before second half,” Zachary teased, tilting his guitar to the side and laughing softly. He turned towards Jasper. “Don’t worry, it’s gonna get exciting second half. It usually does.” Valerie stood up and stretched, Davey set his bass down in the stand.

The twins looked at Jasper, then each other, whispering softly before turning back to the band. “Can we make a request?” Ash asked, folding his hands into his lap.

“Sure,” Zachary spoke into the mic as if addressing a full audience, shifting into a more relaxed stance. Kyla snickered.

Tyler folded his hands, mirroring Ash. “We think Jasper would like it if Davey sang Holiday. His voice sounds good with Green Day songs, and you all know how to play it, I’ve  _ heard _ you practice it before.”

“Sure.” Zachary replied. He looked over at Davey, it took the redhead a moment to process that they were talking about him.

“Nuh-uh, nice try, wonder twins.” Davey replied, taking a drink from the water bottle that had been resting on his music stand. “I don’t sing, you know this.”

“You have more vocal talent than you give yourself credit for.” The twins smiled in unison.

“Hey, no? No, Don’t do that in-synch fuckery. You  _ know _ that shit freaks me out.”

“That’s why we do it.”

“Shut up. Anyway, I have exactly as much vocal talent as a sack of flower. I’m not folding, I think I’ll leave the singing to Power Couple Kyla and Zach.” Kyla rolled her eyes, Zachary laughed softly.

“What if you-- just once--  _ tried _ to show off in front of your boyfriend?” Kyla said, smiling, brushing a hand through her hair, gesturing towards Jasper. “It can’t hurt. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“Okay, the sole fact that you said that means something can and will go horribly wrong.”

“I can’t believe  _ the _ David Fletcher is wussing out of a challenge,” Valerie said, sitting back down, smiling smugly at Davey.

“It’s not a challenge, and I’m not wussing out, I just don’t want to sing.”

“Sounds like a load of shit to me.”

Davey glared at her, picking up his bass again. “You are the bane of my existence. Fine.”

“Thank you,” the twins said together, in an almost patronizing voice, laughing gently.

“Hey- hey, yeah, shut up.” Everyone in the room chuckled, and Davey rolled his eyes, smiling.

Everyone returned to their posts, but Davey took Kyla’s mic, and she sat next to Jasper, whispering to him, using her hand as a barrier so Davey wouldn’t read her lips, “He really is good, he just refuses to let anyone believe it.”

“Holiday. Green Day. Requested by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumbass. Let’s get this over with.” Kyla made catcalling noises at Davey and he cocked his hip out sassily, winking at Jasper before Valerie counted them off with the clicking of her drumsticks.

As the last notes played out, Jasper found himself clapping, and he might have mistaken the lighting to look like blush on Davey’s face. “Thank you, thank you. Now get your ass back up here, Kyla, I’m done with the vocal acrobatics. It fucks up my groove.”

“I sure couldn’t tell,” Kyla said, slouching into her seat. “In fact, maybe you should replace me. Take my spot in the band. I’m not punk enough, anyway.”

“Hey, no,” Davey replied, “that’s not happening.”

“Maybe I’ll take up knitting with my pal Jasper over here,” Kyla put an arm around Jasper’s shoulders, he laughed uncomfortably. “We’ll make a fuck ton of scarves and while we’re rolling in the dough we’ll leave you guys to endlessly chase fame.”

“Or, you could  _ not _ do that, and instead take your arm  _ off _ of my boyfriend and come up to the mic again,” Davey narrowed his eyes at her.

“Yikes, hostile much?” Kyla grasped at her chest, feigning hurt.

“Oh, come off it Kyla, you know how jealous Davey gets,” Valerie interjected, snickering.

“I do  _ not _ get jealous,” Davey muttered in defiance, turning over to glare at a smug Valerie.

Kyla rolled her eyes, sighing dramatically. “You totally do. You just proved that, like, less than a minute ago. You got all passive aggressive at me for putting my arm around your bf’s shoulders.”

“I was so not being passive aggressive.”  _ Ba-dum tss.  _ “Valerie, I swear to god.”

“Davey, I’ve got like, less than zero incentive to steal your boy. I don’t plan on earning myself that kind of a title, and besides, I’ve got my own prince charming to fawn over, why would I steal your man?”

Valerie yawned loudly, dramatically. “You realize that won’t stop him from being jealous, right?”

“I’m not jealous!”

“Hush.”

“You don’t need to be jealous, Davey, I wouldn’t want to go with anyone but you,” Jasper said without thinking, and when all eyes in the room turned to him, he looked down at his lap, anxiety washing over his chest, face flushing with color.

“Aw, that’s so sweet,” Kyla said, laughing gently. “See? You heard it for yourself dingus, don’t even worry about it.”

When Jasper looked up, Davey’s face was just as red as his own, and he laughed a little. “You really mean it?”

“Of course I do.”

There was a long and comfortable pause where a vaguely passive but mostly calming atmosphere settled over the garage’s occupants like a blanket of snow before Zachary interrupted it, bringing a welcome change in conversation. “How did we even get to this topic? I thought we were arguing over who was singing lead.”

“Right,” Davey said, breaking eye contact with Jasper. Jasper looked back down at his lap, blushing bright red. “Right.”

“Yeah, you don’t have to sing if you don’t want’a,” Kyla conceded, stretching her hands above her hand and standing up. “It’s whatever, besides, I don’t think you could do my parts in Pretty Fly for a White Guy.”

Davey chuckled, smiling at her as she took her mic back. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, only you can whine like that.”

She scoffed, sticking her tongue out.

“Is that what we’re doing next?”

“Sure, let’s roll with it.” The tension seemed to have dissipated, much to the relief of the room’s occupants, and practice continued without paying much else attention to the hiccup in conversation.

After the band was through playing, they stuck around for a little while before Jasper left on the excuse of having a physics test in the morning.

“Wait, Jasper!” Davey called, rushing after Jasper. He took a moment to catch his breath. “You… did you really mean… what you said earlier?”

Jasper felt a warmth rise to his cheeks, and he smiled softly, meeting Davey’s wide eyes with comfort. “Every word of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JSKhfuirhsj hey writers, did you know that sometimes people READ their writings and CHECK for ERRORS before publishing? What a wild concept,,,
> 
> Yeah so I'm postponing the ending of the book 'cause I feel like there's a little bit of extra padding out that I have yet to write before I can just do that thing I'm gonna do, so don't hold your breath,,
> 
> In case anyone's interested, here's the lineup of songs Davey's band played  
> 1\. Zombie by The Cranberries  
> 2\. Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground  
> 3\. Mr. Jones by Counting Crows  
> 4\. Somebody Told Me by The Killers  
> 5\. Time Is Running Out by Muse  
> 6\. Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers  
> 7\. Better Man by Pearl Jam  
> 8\. Buddy Holly by Weezer  
> \-----break-----  
> 9\. Holiday by Green Day  
> 10\. Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) by The Offspring  
> 11\. All The Small Things by Blink-182  
> 12\. Supermassive Black Hole by Muse  
> 13\. Seven Nation Army by White Stripes  
> 14\. You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette  
> 15\. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana  
> 16\. Knights of Cydonia by Muse  
> 17\. Come Out And Play (Keep 'em Separated) by The Offspring


	14. Time Flies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the title says-- time flies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to From a D-, where you can watch the decomposition of my exponentially worse and ever-shifting writing style.

[Bubbl3gumGw3n IS IDLE]

americanpunkk: hey, havent heard from u in a while, u kind of stopped showing up places

americanpunkk: r u ok?

Bubbl3gumGw3n: yeah

americanpunkk: yeah? thats it?

Bubbl3gumGw3n: yeah

Bubbl3gumGw3n: idk, im just kind of… idk, not really feeling it these days

Bubbl3gumGw3n: you know?

americanpunkk: yeah but i mean its been longer than a couple weeks, r u sure ur ok?

Bubbl3gumGw3n: i dont know anymore :/

Bubbl3gumGw3n: i feel like ive lost myself

Bubbl3gumGw3n: so i probably wont be around for a while

Bubbl3gumGw3n: i need some time to just

Bubbl3gumGw3n: be

Bubbl3gumGw3n: im sorry

americanpunkk: take as much time as you need

americanpunkk: i'm always here if you need me

[Bubbl3gumGw3n IS OFFLINE]

  
  


As of February 2007, Davey was passing all of his classes. In fact, he was  _ more _ than passing, earning B’s in most of them. Jasper made it a point every so often to tell Davey how proud he was of his growth. “You’ve made so much progress, I mean, you came up all the way from a D- in most of your classes, and now you’re at B’s! I mean, just look at how far you’ve come! I’m really proud of you.”

Every time he did so, Davey would tell Jasper “I don’t need to be patronized, and I don’t want you to praise me for work that should just be done in the first place.” but the truth was, the validation made his heart flutter, and Jasper could see that faint smile with every retort, so he didn’t stop.

As the snow began miraculously clearing up, having study sessions outdoors became a common occurrence. More often than not the two would find themselves distracted by the chilly breeze, the perfectly warm sun, the soft feel of the grass, and each other. Among all the tempting diversions, study session quickly became little more than an hour of cuddling, cloud watching, playing with each others’ hair and talking mindlessly to pass the time.

It was Davey who’d recalled where the two had met before. Camp Campbell, 1997.

“That was you?”

“Mhm. I still have the group photo. Can you believe that was almost ten years ago?” Smiles. “I guess a whole lot can change in ten years. The person I was ten years ago is so much softer than I am now, it’s dumb but it’s true when they say that time makes people jaded.”

“Jaded?”

“The cynicism of the world has found an opening in their tired brain and only in their dreams can they return to the same state of ease they were as a child. Things that happen fester in their mind, brewing, gathering up the courage to surge forward and take them by the throat.”

“Who?”

“They only want to get back at the people who did them wrong. The people who spitefully twisted the image of perfection and maturity, pulling the rug out from beneath you, changing your world, leaving you clinging breathlessly to what little you know is true. Holding bitter poison in sharp smiles, speaking hissed greetings through casual lies and gritted teeth.”

“You’ve been watching too many deep and metaphorical movies lately, Davey.”

“Am I really to fault? If you make a deep and metaphorical movie, you can’t expect people  _ not _ to watch it.”

And when February 14th came along, Davey purchased a bouquet of roses for his Valentine, and a brand new polaroid camera for his love’s birthday. Through this thoughtful gift, Jasper was able to discover his brand new passion of photography; something about being able to solidify a moment in time, cement it into the cave drawings of human history, of  _ his _ history.

As March fell into the laps of the two, Jasper and Davey came out to their families. They waited for the perfect moment, on the four-month anniversary of the day they went to the concert. It was chilled outside, slightly overcast, but not cool enough for a sweater, and not cloudy enough for an umbrella. Both families had surprisingly similar reactions, much to the relief of the lovers.

“Jasper, you know nothing you say could make us love you any less. We don’t care if you love boys, so long as you’re happy.”

“Davey, you know your father and I could care less who you think you love. At least you can’t get him pregnant.”

On a rainy April day, Jasper and Davey sat beneath the overhang above Jasper’s patio, sprawled across the bench, cuddled into each other until you couldn’t tell which limb belonged to which boy.

“Can I ask you something?” Davey murmured, dulcet tones almost drowned out by the quiet  _ tap, tap, tapping _ of the rain against the metallic roof. Jasper hummed in response, afraid that speaking too much might spoil the moment. “Will you marry me?”

Gentle laughs. “Davey, we’re teenagers, we can’t get married. Ask me again in five years, and maybe I’ll say yes.” Hushed chuckles, sweet peck on the lips.

“You promise?”

“I promise.” Jasper was beginning to drift into sleep. “Hey, Davey?”

“Yeah?”

Speaks so soft as if he’ll break. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

May brought smiles and laughter. Classes seemed ever shorter, days passed by like paper fleeing in the spring wind. When school let out, Jasper volunteered the two to plant trees around the park. Davey protested, but once he’d dug his hands into the soil, something inside of him stirred-- something he hadn’t felt since 1997. When Davey’s band broke up, he put down his bass and picked up a guitar. “If I make it as a solo artist, well, it’s probably better to be a solo guitarist. I mean, have you ever heard of a solo bassist?”

Before catching madame time by her hand, it was already June. Davey’s birth month. They celebrated with ice cream and soft kisses, meandering along pathways, taking the long way home minutes before curfew.

“I feel like this is the point where our stories mesh into one. Where we stop being two people, and start being one relationship, you know?” Jasper would always smile. “It’s wild to think about, huh?”

“I can’t say I mind it.”

Hiking in the July summer heat, camping through August’s windless nights, laughing and entertaining each other. Photographs of each other; posing by an impossibly tall tree, a small animal viewable in the distance, the angle made it seem as if they’d held up the weight of a mountain. Skinny dipping in the lakes and waterfalls, playful splashes, romantic kisses and tender embraces. When they were in the woods together, they were alone with what made them comfortable, alone with each other and the silent wisdom that fell hushedly upon their camp.

Lying on the grass, October’s weather creeping in with a comfortable bliss. Davey did well last year, so he wasn’t assigned to a tutor, but that didn’t stop the traditions of the two meeting at the library and the grass field nextdoor. Habits solidified in romantic sighs. Davey’s peppermint chapstick was becoming a familiar taste on Jasper’s lips.

“You’re going to be in  _ college _ next year, shit,” Davey laughed, dropping his head to the side to observe the face of the boy lying next to him. “How do you feel about that, college boy?”

“I mean, I’ve prepared for college my whole life, but it’s just…” Jasper laughed gently, sides of his lips pulling up into a smile. “I never thought I’d be saying this, but it’s all coming too quickly.”

“That’s what she said.”

“Davey!”

“What?” He laughed.

Christmas, then the new year, 2008. Senior year came and went for Jasper before he even had time to blink an eye. Time lost to the breeze, but not forgotten. Nights of candied lips, soft skin, gentle sighs would stick to his memories as firsts, such vivid feelings, every inch remembered with photographic detail and picturesque color. Before he knew it, his college applications were being accepted at an alarming rate, and March 6th of 2008 was the first day Jasper truly began to understand what the age gap meant for them.

“Well, no matter where you decide to go to college, I’ll go with you.”

“Aw,” Jasper laughed softly, face flushing with color as it so often does, “That’s really sweet of you, but you don’t have to--”

“Of course I do, you’re my little teddy bear, I can’t just leave you at the mercy of High School 2.0!” Davey laughed, smooching Jasper’s cheek gently, grinning. He’d allowed himself to be much more relaxed and casual, opening up to Jasper to show him a side of himself he hadn’t shown anybody in a long time. Jasper couldn’t help but smile, joining in with a gentle laugh. “I’ll be out of High School in a year, and no matter where you go, I’ll follow you. ...Unless you don’t want me to.”

“No, it’s-- Of course I want you to,” Jasper’s smile saddened, looking down at his fidgeting hands in uncertainty. “I just don’t want-- I want you to live your life how you want to live it.”

“I want to live it with you, Jas.”

Sleepy Peak University wasn’t that bad of a school, anyway.

High School came to an end in May, 2009. He stopped using the nickname ‘Davey’, since it felt just a little too immature for the redhead who’d begun going by his full name, but every now and then, Jasper would call David by his high school name as a gentle reminder of their past, a reminder of their shared love. Walks about the park to check the growth of their trees, nudges and whispers, making it impossible to forget even a single moment.

Time flipped by like an animation, quickly, slowing down when 2012 came around. David worked for an independent gardening company within Sleepy Peak with songwriting on the side, Jasper worked as a professional photographer, spending his free time writing stories.

Once, for fun, they drove by the grounds of Camp Campbell.

“Looks like it’s still in business, huh?” Jasper said, glancing over his shoulder at the peeling wallpaper decorating the billboard out front. “Wow. After all these years…”

Davey smiled softly, speculating. “I wonder what kinds of things Mister Campbell’s up to these days.”

By the time March came around, they shared a small apartment together while they finished college. They didn't have much, but what they did have was theirs, and no one else’s. David was 19, and Jasper was 22.

And when July came, David turned 20. When July came, and when David asked Jasper to marry him-- after all, it was five years later-- Jasper said yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you guys think of the writing style? I was super on-the-fence about it but I've been reading the book Beloved lately and was kind of inspired by the writing style, and thought it was a good way to wrap up time skips.  
> I felt like I had some loose ends I needed to tie up and cutely fun things I wanted to insert before I published the finale, so expect that sometime soon.  
> I'm really excited, I feel like you guys are going to have mixed feelings about the last chapter, did I mention I was excited?
> 
> Predictions? (I've been lowkey hiding hints throughout the work) Thoughts? Comment, please! I love love love hearing y'all's words =0


	15. I Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lazy November nights, and unexpected guests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prerequisite to the chapter: you HAVE to listen to I'm With You by Grouplove ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54JDndtbmNM ) before reading the chapter. Sorry I don't make the rules.

Four months after their engagement, November 17th. The winter chills had begun sweeping through Sleepy Peak, tonight especially. Snow hadn’t quite settled yet, but they were due for it within the next few weeks. David and Jasper had made several planning decisions about their wedding, and invitations were already being sent out. It would be in January-- a January wedding seemed appropriate. Still snowy, romantic-- Jasper wanted a winter wedding-- and the weather would be warming up, so it wouldn’t be too cold. Everything was in place, set in motion with a smile and a kiss.

In the evening, the two snuggled up to each other beneath a blanket and watched one of Jasper’s personal favorite movies, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Jasper fell asleep in David’s lap, to his surprise-- who falls asleep during Austin Powers?-- David picked him up gently and took him to bed, lying awake, pondering at the ridges in the ceiling and falling asleep soon after.

 

“Go turn the heat up,” Jasper murmured, cheek pressed gently into David’s chest, arms lazily resting around him. “It’s cold.”

David yawned softly and rolled out of bed with a sigh, feet hitting the floor with a quiet  _ thump _ as he glanced at the clock reading  _ 1:07am _ . He stood up and let his eyes adjust to the light provided by the moon outside, looking out the window for a moment as the breeze rustled the plants outside just before the weight of escaping sleep settled in. He stretched his arms above his head and took a single step before the sound of something falling and hitting the living room rug pulled him out of his groggy state, leaving him wide awake with his heart pounding.

Jasper sat up, looking up at David with hushed eyes and hushed speech. “What was that?” No sooner had he finished his sentence when the sound of gentle, sneaky shifting noises rose from the same room.

“I think there’s someone in our house,” David whispered, pulling a shirt over his head and reaching for the nearest blunt object-- a flashlight. Jasper moved to stand, but David held out a hand. “No, no, I’ll go check it out, call the police.”

“Please don’t get involved,” Jasper said, reaching to the bedside table for his phone. “What if they have guns?”

David kissed Jasper’s forehead gently. “I’ll be okay, I’m just going to see what’s up, don’t worry about me. Stay put, I’ll be back in a minute.”

As David left the room, Jasper called the police, but as soon as he hung up, he disobeyed and followed David quietly. He had a bad feeling about this, and knew that David wouldn’t let him come along, so Jasper would wait it out in the shadows once he saw what was going on.

At first, nothing was wrong with the room. The front door was closed, and the windows, too, and David began to doubt his hearing before he saw him. A man tall and lanky stood by the fireplace, gently holding and looking at a picture he’d taken down from the mantle. David couldn’t see his face, but there was something oddly familiar about the posture, and the way he carried himself. He gripped the flashlight in his hand and took two quiet steps towards the intruder, before a soft chuckle was heard.

“You aren’t very light on your feet,” he reached up and set the picture back in its place on the mantle, turning to face the redhead, features illuminated in the moonlight. He was a mirror image of David, save for the white clothing and crisp blonde hair. He glanced at David’s left hand, and smiled slyly, head dropping to the side. “Hm, that’s right. Congratulations on the engagement. The wedding isn’t for a few more months, right?”

“Wh-” David stared in confusion, he had so many questions, but he only found himself able to ask one thing. “Who are you?”

The stranger’s smile turned charming, head correcting itself to a neutral spine. “Are you sure you don’t recognize me? After all, you seemed very  _ adamant _ about a certain accusation concerning my… occupation a few years back.” Realization dawned upon David’s face, and his hold on the flashlight tightened. Daniel chuckled, and continued talking, pacing to the right. “About six years ago my…  _ charitable _ organization was  _ very  _ close to being shut down. you wouldn’t happen to know why, would you?”

David never was very good at lying. “No.”

“Hm, I see.” Daniel hummed, smiling broadly, shifting forwards, closer to David, who instinctively took a step backwards. “I suppose it was my dear friend Jasper who called in the anonymous tip, then?” David went rigid, and he shook his head softly. Daniel chuckled, his hand drifted to his hip. David was too busy focusing on Daniel and trying to read him to notice. “Tell me, David, have you ever heard the phrase  _ ‘revenge is a dish best served cold’ _ ?”

“I… think so, why?” David raised his eyebrows.

“Well, I think it’s chilled to perfection by now, wouldn’t you say?” Daniel smiled with a look David might mistake for malice. “I told you I planned to go out with a bang, all those years ago. Do you remember that? At the winter formal dance, our first and  _ only _ meeting until now. I have to say, David, kudos to you for sending in that tip, very unexpected. I’m curious, how did you find out?”

“Any idiot with a name and a search engine could find out,” David said in a low and steady voice, anxiety clearly rising within him.

“Then I suppose the government should hire more idiots like you.” Daniel let his head fall to the side again, and this time, a sickening  _ crack _ resonated through the small room. David felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. “In any case, when I said  _ ‘out with a bang’ _ , this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, as I’m sure you can expect. I suppose this’ll have to do, since an unexpected variable forced me to make some…  _ alterations _ to my original plans.”

His hand gripped the handle of the gun at his side as he spoke, pulling it gently out of its resting spot. It had a muffler attached to the front of it, so it made no sound when the gun fired.

David opened his eyes-- he hadn’t even realized he’d closed them-- to Jasper, bleeding and coughing on the floor.

Daniel’s head wavered for a moment before pressing further, emanating a second, nauseating  _ crack.  _ “How…  _ unfortunate _ . Jasper, I wouldn’t have brought you into this mess, had you not intervened.” Daniel turned back to David and shot at his kneecap, the redhead collapsed to the ground. He looked at David when he spoke, but his words were directed at Jasper. “This was a matter purely for your fiancé and I to handle, but I suppose that just means more fun for me. It’s a shame you took the bullet to your chest, this wasn’t supposed to be the fun part.”

Daniel pocketed his gun, correcting his neck once more. “I’ll go fetch my…  _ friends _ from the car.” David tried to use the fire poker to help him stand up, struggling, Daniel kicked it out from beneath him, and David collapsed with a cry of pain. “I’d stay down if I were you.”

As soon as Daniel had left the room, David scrambled over to Jasper with tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “Did you- did you take the bullet for me?” Jasper just smiled, and turned his head so David wouldn’t see that he was coughing up blood. “You shouldn’t have, oh god, he wasn’t even going to  _ touch _ you!”

“It’s okay David,” Jasper laughed softly, holding in another cough, lacing his fingers into David’s reassuringly.

“No, no, it’s not okay! I’m- you just- fuck!” David couldn’t bring himself to speak above a whisper, gripping Jasper’s hand tightly, tears creating splotches in his vision so it was difficult to see his love.

“It’s okay,” Jasper repeated, smiling, pressing their foreheads together. His skin was beginning to look a ghostly pale the more blood trickled down and stained the rug. “Don’t let this bring you down, okay?”

“Bring me.. Jasper, no, don’t talk like that, you’re going to be okay! You’re not going to die, right?”

“Things never really die until you forget about them,” Jasper smiled, broken, refusing to show how scared he really was. Refusing to admit that he was afraid of dying, afraid of leaving David behind. Regretful of the things he should have told David sooner. “So I won’t die, as long as you remember me.”

“We were going to get married, We- we were going to- it’s not fair, you’re barely 22, it’s not fair! You had so much life ahead of you, we were...” David couldn’t find it in himself to finish the thought, tears blotting his vision and making it blurry.

Jasper leaned up, and pressed their lips together, a deep and passionate kiss spending several precious seconds. “Promise me you won’t forget me.”

“I promise,” the words tumbled from David’s lips, voice quivering.

The door drifted open without a sound, and in walked Daniel with a horrifyingly jagged knife and a small, black book with a pentagram scrawled on it with a shaky hand and a white pen.

”I think we’ll start with you, David, since-- well, you’re who I came here for, and your fiancé seems to be losing too much blood for my liking.”

Daniel polished the knife with a rag from his pocket, and opened up the book, standing over David with an inhuman smile. Jasper began losing consciousness.  “Ego vobis sit. libera me ab immolatis ex hac namque ligatum realm. Teneat vota mea in oculis vestris. Carpe sit, accipies sanguinem e--”

He stopped when he heard the sounds of sirens approaching the complex. David begun to feel dizzy as a bright white light flooded the room, forcing him to close his eyes. When he opened them again, the bright light fighting his eyelids was no longer a police searchlight, it was the crisp and desperate white of a hospital room.

 

“And that was… two years ago?”

“A few months short of three.”

“Jeez…”  She crossed one leg over the other, leaning back in her chair, furrowing her eyebrows in concentration. “So why do you want to work here, then? If I were you, I’d just get out of state or something, try to start new where I’m  _ not _ constantly surrounded by my past.”

“It’s not that I’m looking for a new start, I think I’ll be just as happy here as I would be anywhere else. It keeps me grounded to stay here, the thing is I don’t  _ want _ to forget my past, it makes me who I am. Plus, kids, am I right? They’re great!”

“Hey… David? I know we haven’t talked for a long,  _ long _ time, so sorry if this sounds intrusive, but how do you find it in yourself to be so… so  _ nice _ ? I mean, from what little you’ve told me, it sounds like you’ve been through too much shit, I just don’t get it. If anything, this should be an excuse to be a jerk. How do you stay smiling?”

“Well, I guess I sort of came to the realization that you never know what’s going to happen… so if I can keep people happy and smiling, maybe it’ll help them make the best of their life, and if that means that I need to be a happy-go-lucky fella and a good influence…” David laughed gently, propping his head up in his hand, smiling at his future co-counselor, sympathetically, conversation filling the gaps in time and making up for all of the years lost. “Then I guess that’s what I’ll do. Even if it hurts, I just have to keep smiling. It’s what Jasper would have wanted.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey uh I'm! Really sorry actually, my plan was always to end it on a sad note but you guys were being so positive and excited in the comments on the last chapter I hope I didn't break your spirit--
> 
> So! That's the end of From a D-. Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Leave 'em below, I'd love to hear!
> 
> Subscribe to me if you'd like, more Jaspvid coming soon!


	16. Bonus Content (Outtakes)

Hey, everyone! I hope you liked  _ From a D- _ , it took a bit longer to wrap up then I’d hoped, but it’s there now, and that’s all that matters.

For those of you that can’t seem to get enough Awkward Teen Jaspvid AU ™ , below are some extra passages that just didn’t make it into the work itself because they were harsh, unnecessary, or just too much of a tangent from my original idea, and I've included some behind-the-scenes stuff towards the end.

For the most part, I just rewrote or revised the scene before putting it into the work, so the context for some of them might be familiar, but at the same time, there’s several bits that I decided to remove entirely.

 

Enjoy!

 

\----------

_ Context: Davey decides to seek out Jasper during lunch at school, but sees that someone else beat him to it. _

[Removed entirely. God. This was WAY out there.]

 

**“SHOOT HIM! HE’S THE CLONE!”**

Davey entered the library, and Jasper sat with his back towards the door, across the table from... Davey?

Davey reeled, blinking his eyes in disbelief as he looked over the person seated with Jasper. He had red hair, gentle freckles, and wore a shirt with an obscure alternative band. He said something, and Jasper laughed, something wasn’t right.

Davey hurried up to the pair, and Jasper looked up, eyes widening as he looked between the two Daveys. Davey looked over at the other redhead and glared, “Who the fuck are you?”

Not-Davey stood up from his chair and balled his fists. “Who the fuck are  _ you _ ?”

Jasper stood cautiously, looking between both Daveys confusedly. “What’s going on?”

The newcomer Davey glared at the library Davey. “I asked you first, dipshit.”

“David Fletcher!”

“No,  _ I’m _ David Fletcher, you’re a fucking fake!”

“Fake?  _ You’re _ the fake! Fuck off!”

“Hey, uh, calm down, you… two!” Jasper said, holding out his hands in front of him. “What’s going on?”

Both Daveys pointed at each other simultaneously, calling out in anger, “He’s trying to impersonate me!”

 

\----------

_ Context: Jen’s cameo, when the duo decided to confront Daniel themselves. _

[Removed]

 

**“JEN”**

When everything had been said and done, the two took the time that would normally be dedicated to tutoring to track down Daniel and talk with him about it. Davey knocked heavily on the door, and a blonde woman with mocha-colored skin and crystal blue eyes answered the door, much too young to be Daniel’s mother.

“Oh! David and Jasper!” She smiled, brightly, borderline scarily. “Come in, we were expecting you!”

 

\----------

_ Context: Jasper shows up to band practice a little earlier than anticipated. _

[Removed]

 

“ **SPONSORSHIP** ”

Jasper walked in during a very important conversation.

“Hey, do you think I could get Coca-Cola to sponsor me?” Zachary asked, swiping Valerie’s can of coke and holding it up to admire it.

“No,” Valerie said, reaching for her soda back, but Zachary just held it further above her. Davey swept the can out of Zachary’s hands and tossed it back to Valerie. “My hero.”

“The only way you could get a coke sponsorship is if you threw yourself at the feet of the CEO and promised your eternal soul to him.” Davey retorted, a giggle swept through the room.

 

\----------

_ Context: Jasper grows out his hair, someone recognizes him from somewhere else. _

[Removed]

 

“ **RECOGNITION** ”

“Hey, wait a sec,” Kyla stood from her seat on one of the amps and reached over, gently gripping the ends of Jasper’s hair and tugging them down to the sides of his face so that it looked just a bit longer than it was. “Weren’t you in Honors Bio with me, freshman year? I think I was your dissection partner once. You had longer hair then.”

“You had long hair?” Davey repeated in surprise, raising his eyebrows towards his boyfriend.

Jasper laughed softly. “Yeah. In middle school, I had a little longer than shoulder-length hair. I kept it through my freshman year, but I decided to cut it after that.” He squinted his eyes at Kyla, taking in the shape of her familiar face. “You had darker hair, right?”

“Yeah, natural,” She smiled softly. “Well, fancy meeting you here.”

 

\----------

_ Context: Band practice was mellow, time to spice things up. _

[Removed]

 

“ **FINALE** ”

After about two songs, Zachary cleared his throat into the mic to make an announcement.

“Anyway, uh,” Zachary began, “this last song is totally not punk-rock-slash-alternative-slash-grunge genre, but it’s a fuckin’ great song. In a way, our entire practice so far was just preparing for this song--”

“Oh, for  _ fuck’s _ sake, if this is what I think it is,” Davey warned.

“It totally is, god damn it.”

“That’s the spirit!” Zachary laughed. “It’s a very expressive song, by a band who tends to model their songs in an…” He made air quotes with his fingers, “ _ ‘unconventional’ _ way, but I think I speak for everyone when I say that this song is really fun to play. A little difficult, but we love it.”

“He does  _ not _ speak for all of us,” Davey muttered, the twins snickered, Kyla rolled her eyes.

“Here we go, B.Y.O.B. by System of a Down, in case those of you reading at home want to follow along.”

“Zach, stop being meta,” Kyla chastised before Valerie clicked the rhythm off.

 

\----------

 

Oh, and also, here was my original plan for the ending, raw copy+paste directly from my planning doc

I decided against it because I reread the chapter at the dance and realized how well the new current ending would fit with the dissatisfied way I ended that arc, and thus I changed the ending from this to “Daniel boio comes back”

 

After the romantic high school shit,

  * they go camping together
  * they realize that they went to camp campbell together
  * david goes back to camp to work as a counselor, jasper works as a [ THERAPIST / WRITER / EDITOR / JOURNALIST / PHOTOGRAPHER ]
  * they make their living in a small and comfy apartment loving each other



once gay marriage is legalized, davey + jas get married

It shows kind of a film reel of more events later in their lives (adopting max, other stuff)

  * ONE EVENT IN PARTICULAR! Something bad happens and Jasper puts a positive spin on it
    * Bad thing ideas:
      * an earthquake
      * a super long power outage while it snows
        * “hey it’s just like that time when we got snowed in on winter break all those years ago, huh?”
    * “Can’t have a garden without a little rain”



Then! It shows that Jasper got cancer at like 36 (davey was 34) and died

Davey grieves for a long time

Davey visits the grave every week until he’s like 50, and  ~~ Kravitz ~~ the grim reaper comes to take his soul because it’s Davey’s turn to die

death the dude asks “So... your case is a special one in particular, and I have to ask-- through it all, was it worth it? Was all of the passionate embraces, the loving kisses and the short-lived moments of romance worth the pain of losing him so young? was it worth it?” (or smthn)

Davey wipes away a tear. “ Yes, and I’d do it all again . The time I spent with Jasper were the best years of my life, and it was all worth the sadness I felt when I lost him. I’d do it again a hundred times.”

“What if I told you you had the chance to live it through again? Only knowing what you knew then, going through it once more?”

“I’d take it.”

“And what if I told you this wasn’t the first time you’ve lived through it?”

“Well, I’d say you’re a fool for giving me back the best years of my life.”

“And the worst ones.”

“You can’t have a garden without a little rain.”

 

\----------

 

Anyways! I hope you enjoyed the bonus content, I hope you have a lovely day and campe diem! :>


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